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--- On this date on May 19, 1936, African Americans took to the streets of Harlem to protest Italy's occupation of Ethiopia. The New York Times reported that after the close of a meeting of Ethiopian sympathizers, civil disorder erupted, involving some 400 Blacks "rioting" over the treatment of Ethiopia by Western Powers; there were no serious property damages or death.
John Hope Franklin, noted historian, states in his book "From Slavery to Freedom" that "the Ethiopian episode was a major motivation for Black Americans to lose their provincialism; from that time into the start of World War II, Blacks in the United States remain au courant of world affairs."
(Undated photo of African Americans enlisting to join Ethiopian army . Although thousands signed up , the US government enacted a law making it a crime for American citizens to participate in either side of the conflict.)
From the album:Timeline Photos
By Wayne Edward Maddock
Blogger's Note: The above timeline notes are from my facebook friend Wayne Edward Maddock. I am one of the loyal followers of his Timeline Notes on Ethiopian history. His today's posting reminded me a book I read on the topic and feel like sharing it with you.
The book is entitled "This ain't Ethiopia, but It'll do" and it is about Lincoln Brigade soldiers (African Americans who participated in the Spanish Civil war). As the title implies the African Americans who went to Spain had Ethiopia in their mind and "regarded the Spanish civil war as an extension of the Italo-Ethiopian conflict. ...for them Spain had become the battlefield to revenge the rape of Ethiopia... The book provide more information about efforts made by various African American organizations in recruiting African Americans volunteers to help Ethiopians defend against Italian aggression. It states that according to one organizer of such effort his organization Pan-African Reconstruction Association (PARA) alone had mobilized an estimated 1000 volunteers in New York, 1500 in Philadelphia, 8000 in Chicago, 5000 in Detroit and 2000 in Kansas City. The book further states that " Initially, [Haile] Selassie was willing to accept African-American combatants, but pressure from the U.S. government compelled Ethiopia to cease all recruitment efforts. Furthermore, potential volunteers were warned that they would be in violation of a federal statute of 1818 governing the enlistment of U.S. citizen's in a foreign army. If convicted, they would face a maximum three-year prison sentence, a $2,000 fine, and loss of citizenship. Despite the law, the Garveyite Black Legion allegedly established a training camp in upstate New York for some 3,000 volunteers, while another group made plans to purchase a freighter to carry black men to the Horn of Africa. None of these efforts came to fruition, however. "
Not all Black mainstream political figures were supportive of the idea of sending African American troops to fight in Ethiopia. Actually, some opposed it and cautioned young men against breaking the U.S. law.
There are no exact figures as to how many made it to Ethiopia and joined the fight. The most known case is that of airmen John C. Robinson nicknamed "the Black Condor" of Chicago South side and Herbert F. Julian of Harlem. Citing other sources, the book indicated by 1933, the African American community in Ethiopia were estimated to number between 100 to 150.Source: Collum, Danny Duncan (ed.) - This Ain't Ethiopia, But It'll do: African Americans in the Spanish civil war. G.W. Hall & Co., 1992.