Harry Truman desegregated the military 75 years ago. Biden says there’s still work to be done

President Harry Truman went around a stalemated Congress 75 years ago and issued an executive order to desegregate the military, offering a crucial victory for the Civil Rights Movement.

On Thursday night, amid a looming congressional battle over diversity efforts in the military, President Joe Biden will make a speech about the impact of the executive order and the work he believes are necessary to eliminate barriers for service members of color.

While more than 40 % of active duty service members are people of color, Biden said they are underrepresented in military leadership, face bias in the military justice system and are more likely to be dishonorably discharged.

“Let us continue to break down barriers so that all qualified service members, no matter their race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religious background, are treated with dignity and respect, can reach their full potential and have their contributions valued, “ Biden said in a written statement Wednesday. “On this day, the 75th Anniversary of the Executive Order that forever strengthened our military, we must remain unflagging in our effort to complete the work that lies ahead.”

Biden’s speech comes in the middle of what is a three day Truman Civil Rights Symposium in Washington sponsored by the Truman Library Institute.

Alex Burden, the executive director of the Truman Library Institute said Truman’s decision to desegregate the military is not particularly well known and that he hopes to raise awareness about the importance of the orders desegregating the military and federal government.

“In the greater flow of the civil rights movement, this was a hugely important step,” Burden said. “History is not just these isolated incidents that take place periodically. There’s an ebb and a flood. There’s a continuity and a connectivity to civil rights history in particular and there had really been no significant actions in terms of civil rights since reconstruction.”

The symposium began Wednesday night with an opening reception and conversation between Rep. Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat; Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress; and Judge Richard Gergel, a District Court Judge for the District of South Carolina about post-World War II violence against Black Americans and how it influenced the executive order between.

There are sessions for the rest of the week on Black Americans in the armed forces, the implementation of the executive order, how desegregation affected individual service members and the effort to create equal opportunity in the military.

It comes as the Biden administration has faced push back from conservatives in Congress who are eager to push back against some of the military’s diversity initiatives. In the House, far-right members were able to secure amendments in the chamber’s version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act to peel abortion rights, transgender health care and diversity initiatives for service members.

In the Senate, where the bill is expected to pass with bipartisan support, Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican, secured amendments challenging the department of defense’s diversity efforts, including an audit of their diversity, equity and inclusion office.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat who is attending the speech, said recognizing the history is important in a moment when the political culture wars threaten to derail what used to be an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill. He voted against the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act, saying it eliminated efforts to fight racism and extremism in the military.

“My father and his two brothers all benefited from the G.I. Bill,” Cleaver said. “When [Truman] desegregated the military, as you may know, many of the advisors said no, and yet he did it. And then here we are now in 2023 almost re-litigating the same issues.”