Final answer:
During WWII, African American women contributed to the war effort by filling roles in the domestic workforce and volunteering overseas, despite facing racial and gender discrimination. Their participation, though limited due to segregation, spurred the Civil Rights Movement and laid the groundwork for post-war civil rights advancements.
Step-by-step explanation:
African American Women in WWII
African American women made crucial contributions to the WWII effort, both domestically and overseas, despite facing persistent racism and sexism. State-side, they stepped into roles that had been previously reserved for white men and white women due to the demand for labor in the defense industry. Unfortunately, these opportunities were limited and often restricted African American women to certain types of work, like domestic services or segregating them into lower-paying jobs.
Overseas, their presence was minimal but significant, with a few serving in organizations like the YWCA and as social workers in France. The efforts of these women and their participation in the military helped lay the groundwork for the subsequent Civil Rights Movement. The experiences of African American women during the war exposed the hypocrisy of fighting for democracy abroad while discrimination persisted at home, leading to the Double V campaign, which symbolized victory against tyranny overseas and racism at home.
In terms of long-lasting impacts, although many of the gains made by African American women during the war were later rolled back, their participation marked a step forward in the ongoing struggle for equal rights and sparked additional momentum in the push for civil rights after the war concluded.