Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II
For Zola Emerson Mullenbach One of the greatest of the greatest generation Richard L Wohlgamuth Jake Bailey Zack Brooklyn Ty Sophia and Emerson In memory of Ralph Mullenbach
1 In 2002 Thomasina Walker Johnson Norford died quietly in her sleep at the age of 94 The New York Amsterdam News described her as the epitome of elegant refinement culture and deter mination Her parents who were long dead would have been pleased and proud to know that their daughter had retained her elegance and refinement in her old age But they most likely would have been surprised considering the direction their daughter’s career had taken When Thomasina was growing up her parents had tried to convince her that nice little girls are not interested in politics and labor unions they teach Thomasina tried to obey her par ents she became a teacher But when she ran into problems because she was black she left the teaching profession Thoma sina turned to politics and labor unions becoming an influen tial lobbyist in Washington DC where a woman in the halls of Congress was an unusual sight and where a black woman in a prominent professional position was almost unheard of in the 1940s Professional opportunities for women of Thomasina’s gen eration were limited But for women who were not white the introduction
Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II
Double Victory tells the stories of African American women who did extraordinary things to help their country during World War II
