Black and white photograph of an unidentified African American woman.

Black and white photograph of an unidentified African American woman. From the service of Private First Class James Dixon, Jr. Company B, 511th Engineers Service Battalion (Colored), American Expeditionary Forces.

During World War I, thousands of African American men answered their country's call and joined the armed services. Though segregation policies at the time followed them into the military, the service of African Americans during the war broke barriers and challenged the heart of racist policies in the military and beyond.