Students gathered in the Gold Ballroom of the Mountainlair Wednesday to hear the untold stories of African American World War II veterans. The Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism contributed to West Virginia University’s Diversity Week by presenting "Fighting on Two Fronts," a documentary video by SOJ Professor Joel Beeson. The ongoing project has already lasted four to five years. "As we researched West Virginia veterans, we realized African-Americans are under-represented," Beeson said. The documentary follows the stories of four veterans: Madalean McIver, John M. Watson, Marcus Cranford and Hughie P. Mills. It tells about the hardships they endured fighting against racism while for the United States during the War. After the presentation of the video, the audience could direct questions to two veterans who were present – Cranford, who was featured in the documentary, and Ellis Ray Williams, another veteran. Students asked what kept them going when they were being treated badly. "One of the things that made me fight was someone telling me I couldn’t," Williams said. "I really had something to prove. And although I’ve been black all my life and haven’t had all the rights of every American, I am still an American, it’s what I know." They both said the war was a rough time for them, but maintained they were still fighting for "their country." Although the hardships they fell on were unjust, they said, America was still the best country they knew. "You do what you have to do to survive," Williams said. "You just hope and you pray things get better." They said they knew fighting for in the war was the right thing to do, and were anxious to do it. "For black and white kids: Do everything you can to pull this country together it’s our strength," Williams said. Veterans said they are impressed with how far the country has come over the years. There has been tremendous improvement for racial equality in the country, Cranford said. Although segregation isn’t as prevalent today as it once was, Beeson said, there are still people alive who have experienced it, and we can learn something from them. Many of these stories have never been told, he said, adding that "it’s a very important part of history, and it’s not in the official record."
World War II vets tell stories at presentation
Published: Thursday, October 22, 2009
Updated: Thursday, October 22, 2009 01:10
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