The First Black Marines: An Oral History: A Graphic History

by Trevor R. Getz, Robert Willis, Joseph H. Geeter III, Liz Clarke (Illustrator)

Overview

The First Black Marines: An Oral History tells the extraordinary stories of the men who made history as the first African Americans to serve in the US Marine Corps. Based on extensive oral history interviews with a group of veterans conducted by the authors, this new title in OUP's Graphic History Series documents the experiences of these men as they underwent training at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, North Carolina, during the 1940s and served in the Pacific theater of World War II. Narrated in the authentic voices of the Marines and featuring powerful imagery, this book provides a personal and moving account of the challenges they faced and overcame as pioneers in the US military during the Jim Crow era of widespread racial segregation and discrimination.

The graphic history is accompanied by a highly accessible introduction to an inquiry-based approach to historical research and the methodology of oral history that empowers students to develop and conduct their own research projects in their communities. In addition, the book includes a brief overview of the historical context in which the Marines' stories unfold as well as a carefully chosen set of primary documents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197650370
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/24/2024
Series:	Graphic History Series
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Trevor R. Getz is Professor of African and World History at San Francisco State University. His first graphic history, Abina and the Important Men, was the winner of the 2014 James Harvey Robinson Prize, and he is the recipient of the American Historical Association's 2020 Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award.

Robert Willis is a public historian. A student of cinema and history, he is driven by a desire to construct effective ways to communicate to the masses and to enrich the lives of people who look like him.

Master Gunnery Sergeant Joseph H. Geeter III, USMC retired, enrolled in the Marine Corps in 1976 and spent twenty-five years on active duty. He served as the 16th President of the National Montford Point Marine Association, Inc.

Liz Clarke is a professional illustrator based in Cape Town, South Africa. She has contributed to a variety of graphic history publications, including several titles in the Graphic History Series published by Oxford University Press.

Table of Contents

List of Maps
Preface
About the Authors and the Illustrator

Part I: The Graphic History
1: When I Grow Up
2: Where Hell Starts
3: Black Marines in Jim Crow America
4: Let the Mosquitoes Eat
5: All of Them Are Legendary
6: A 17-Year-Old Kid with a .45 Pistol
7: Aftermaths and Legacies

Part II: Starting a Research Project
Introduction
Defining Questions
Building a Critical Bibliography

Part III: Historical Context
Jim Crow America
African Americans and the US Military During the Second World War
Montford Point Camp and the First Black Marines
Montford Pointers in the Pacific Theater of Operations
The Tensions of Masculinity
Looking Both Forward and Backward

Part IV: Oral History: Applying a Research Methodology
Oral History as Method
Oral History and Memory
Oral History as a Community Act
Our Approaches and Experiences

Part V: Interpretation
What Is the Job of the Historian in Interpretation?
Critical Analysis
Narrative Structures and Shared Experiences
Analytical Moments: Hearing Individual Messages
Interpreting through Comics: Choices and Debates

Part VI: Primary Sources
Executive Order 8802 (1941)
Letter of Instruction No. 421 (1943)
The Pittsburgh Courier, "The Courier's Double 'V' for a Double Victory Campaign Gets Country-wide Support" (1942)
H. R. 2447, An Act to Grant the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines (2011)

Part VII: Questions to Consider
Constructing a Usable Narrative
Examining Multiple Interpretations
Critically Investigating the Research Methodology
Engaging with the Original Video Footage
Reflecting

Glossary

Editorial Reviews

"Detailed, well-written, and highly accurate, The First Black Marines offers a model for how we should teach oral history in the twenty-first century."—Reginald K. Ellis, Florida A&M University

"The First Black Marines tackles difficult yet inspiring history in an incredibly accessible way. Kudos to the authors for allowing us to hear this history from the brave men who lived it, while teaching us about historiography along the way. Sure to be enjoyed by students and casual readers alike!"—Melissa Ziobro, Monmouth University

"This graphic history walks students step-by-step through the field of history and what it means to be a historian. Stunning visuals recreate life at Montford Point for the first African American Marines since the American Revolution. The First Black Marines sheds light on their experiences as men, Marines, and African Americans fighting for the double victory in the Jim Crow South and in the Pacific theater of World War II. These men faced discrimination, hardship, and injustice with poise and honor, and their stories, interpreted through the eyes of historians Trevor Getz, Robert Willis, and Gunnery Sergeant Joseph H. Geeter III, provide insight into how the battle for civil rights was fought on a multitude of fronts while providing the reader with lessons that are still applicable to the struggles our country faces today."—Toni Nicholas, Red Rocks Community College

From the Publisher