New Heroes Hall exhibit goes beyond history books to share Black experiences of WWII

Although some 1 million Black Americans fought in World War II, most history books fail to tell the full story of their sacrifices and acts of heroism, or of the discrimination they endured even as they fought for their country.

But a new exhibit opening Wednesday at the Heroes Hall veterans museum at Costa Mesa’s O.C. fairgrounds — “Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II” — aims to change that by offering a collection of photos, artifacts and oral histories of those who served.

On loan from the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, the exhibit highlights both the extraordinary achievements and challenges of Black troops, who sought a “double victory” overseas and on the home front.

Heroes Hall Supervisor Carol Singleton looks over World War II-era signs at the “Fighting for the Right to Fight” exhibit.

(Spencer Grant)

“It’s a really troubling history,” said Heroes Hall Supervisor Carol Singleton, who put in a request to host the highly sought-out exhibit two years ago. “A lot of people don’t know the details. But these people served our country, and their names should be known.”

The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 18, lends a voice to the many different assignments, missions and capacities in which Black military men and women worked to help secure freedoms they themselves could not fully enjoy back home in the United States.

It tells the story of the Montford Point Marines, a group of 20,000 Black servicemen trained at a segregated camp in North Carolina when the U.S. Marine Corps first opened its ranks to non-white members in 1942, and the grueling conditions and unfair treatment they faced.

Visitors can learn about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — nicknamed the “Six Triple Eight” — an all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps that helped keep overseas mail service running smoothly to maintain morale among the troops.

Bobby McDonald, president and chief executive of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, Friday at Heroes Hall, where he will emcee an opening ceremony for “Fighting for the Right to Fight.”

(Spencer Grant)

The exhibit sheds light on the Red Ball Express, a truck convoy operated primarily by Black soldiers that transported about 12,500 tons of supplies daily to Allied Forces in 1944 Normandy, France, for 83 days after the D-Day invasion.

Bobby McDonald, president and chief executive of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County and a member of the Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation, said the exhibit explores parts of history seldom told.

“Is it impactful? Heck yeah. Is it insightful? Heck yeah. Is it emotional? You’re damn right it is — but it’s a story that is true,” said McDonald, himself a Vietnam veteran. “It brings back a lot of memories of the way the United States was and, in some cases, still is.”

His father, Vernon McDonald, who passed away last month at age 97, was a master sergeant in the U.S. Army’s 1321 Engineer General Service Regiment, a “Buffalo Soldier” who served in Europe and Japan but spoke little about his time overseas and the discrimination he saw and likely experienced.

“I want people to go away with the feeling these individuals of color were just doing their jobs,” he said of the exhibit. “They were just fighting for the right to fight for their freedom.”

McDonald will emcee an opening ceremony Feb. 19, at 11 a.m., featuring a performance by the All-American Boys Chorus and speakers Col. Franklin Henderson, retired president of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the 9th and 10th Calvary Assn., Lt. Col. Patricia Jackson-Kelley, president of the National Assn. of Black Military Women and Staff Sgt. Dave Culmer, a Montford Point Marines Veteran.

Heroes Hall is located at 88 Fair Drive, in Costa Mesa. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more, visit ocheroeshall.org or call (714) 708-1613.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.