Double Victory: Examining the Life of an African American World War II Soldier, with Gaynell Brady
Channel: Archives NOLAlibrary
Date: 28/10/2023

Gaynell Brady uses genealogy and oral history to delve into the life of a Louisiana African American soldier, Cary Clifford. Born on a plantation, he returned from World War II a changed man.

During World War II, more than 2.5 million African American men registered for the draft, and African American women volunteered in large numbers. Many were motivated by the Double V Campaign message that was printed in The Philadelphia Courier. One Louisiana African American soldier saw it as a way to elevate his family and escape sharecropping work on the plantation.

In this presentation, Gaynell Brady, Owner/Educator of Our Mammy’s uses genealogy methods and oral history to delve deeply into the life of one Louisiana African American soldier. Cary Clifford was born on a plantation in Glynn, Louisiana. After fighting alongside thousands of enlisted men and officers in Europe, he returned home a changed man.