Inspiration comes from all places. One example of this is a poster that my grandmother had in her home. It was located at the entry of the foyer, so that you could see it as you hung up your coat in the hallway closet. You couldn’t miss it.
The poster was actually a reprint, originally done by artist, E. G. (Edward George), titled, “Colored Man Is No Slacker”. It was first published in 1918 and it shows an Black man saying good-bye to his wife or girlfriend on the walkway leading to the street where troops are marching off to war.
During World War I, there was a significant recruiting effort aimed at encouraging African Americans to enlist. This image conveys a powerful message of African American patriotism, self-sacrifice, and courage. More than 350,000 African Americans, trained and deployed in segregated units, served in the United States military during World War I, of whom 42,000 saw action in Europe.
I never thought to ask my grandmother about the poster, but I certaintly received the message she was tryibg to pass down. She wanted to remind us, and never forget that despite our troubled past, we are a very proud, and very hard working people.