NAAM’s Freedom Day celebrates history, culture, equity, and freedom while highlighting the importance of sharing these ideals with ALL members of our community. Freedom Day is a FREE admission day at NAAM offered once a month that provides a variety of community activities, museum activations, and programs for individuals and families of all ages to enjoy at no cost. NAAM uses Freedom Day to spotlight significant and sometimes lesser known moments throughout history that have worked to advance freedom for all.
Join NAAM for Freedom Day on July 26
On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, declaring that “there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” This landmark order officially ended the legal segregation of the United States military and laid the groundwork for broader civil rights advancements in American society.
Long before Executive Order 9981, Black Americans had a deep and complex history of military service.
Before Executive Order 9981, Black service members had long answered the nation’s call to serve — from Crispus Attucks, the first casualty of the American Revolution, to the heroic Buffalo Soldiers, and the legendary Tuskegee Airmen and 6888th Battalion of World War II. Despite their unwavering commitment and sacrifice, Black troops were forced to serve in segregated units, often relegated to support roles regardless of skill or valor. For generations, Black Americans believed that military service could be a pathway to full citizenship: a demonstration of loyalty, valor, and sacrifice that would make the nation confront its promises of liberty and equality for all.
Serving in the armed forces offered more than the chance to fight for democracy overseas — it was also an avenue to gain skills, education, steady pay, and a measure of respect that Jim Crow America routinely denied. Many hoped that donning a uniform would dismantle the myths of Black inferiority and force the country to recognize Black Americans as equals. Though the promises were not always kept, each generation’s service built pressure for change — until the day came when segregation in the ranks could no longer stand.
The signing of Executive Order 9981 was more than a policy shift; it was a hard-won promise — one that acknowledged the undeniable truth that Black Americans have always fought for a freedom they were determined to claim for themselves and their descendants. Desegregating the military forced the country to reckon with its contradictions and propelled the modern Civil Rights Movement forward, inspiring demands for equal treatment in all facets of American life.
Today, we celebrate this milestone as a Freedom Day moment — a reminder that true freedom requires action, courage, and the continuous fight to fully realize the meaning of equality. We honor the generations of Black soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who broke barriers, fully realized the armed forces, and strengthened the nation through their service and sacrifice.
Did You Know?
The Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps, flew more than 15,000 missions during World War II, proving Black pilots were just as capable as their white counterparts despite facing deep discrimination.
Over 180,000 Black men served in the Union Army during the Civil War, making up nearly 10% of Union forces. Their service was critical to the North’s victory and paved the way for the passage of the 13th Amendment.
Many Black Americans saw military service as a route to education: under the GI Bill, Black veterans hoped to attend college and build better lives, although systemic racism often limited their access to those benefits.
The Navy was the first branch to officially desegregate in practice, even before EO 9981, due in part to the push for manpower during WWII — but true equal treatment still lagged until Truman’s order.
Women like Major Charity Adams Earley, commander of the first all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit to serve overseas, showed that Black women, too, fought to expand the nation’s promises — both in uniform and on the home front.
EO 9981 helped influence other desegregation efforts: Many historians consider it a crucial precursor to Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and the broader Civil Rights Act of 1964.
