World War I

Portrait of unidentified World War I soldier and Wallace Wright
Portrait of unidentified World War I soldier and Wallace Wright, 1918, African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph collection, MS 189, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library.
U.S.S. Floridian arriving at New York City from France with her decks crowded with American troops returning to the United States
U.S.S. Floridian arriving at New York City from France with her decks crowded with American troops, 1919, African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph collection, MS 189, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library.

Prepare for a visit to AAMLO with these special topic resource guides.

This resource guide is intended to help users locate holdings at AAMLO related to World War I and the African American experience.

It highlights holdings in the following areas:

● Selected Library Material at AAMLO
● Selected Archival Collections at AAMLO

Other collections may contain relevant materials. Please contact AAMLO (aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org) with any questions or to schedule an appointment to view materials in person.

Selected Library Materials

Bitter Victory a History of Black Soldiers in World War I by Florette Henri

Loyalty in Time of Trial : The African American Experience During World War I by Nina Mjagkij

Torchbearers of Democracy : African American Soldiers in the World War I Era by Chad L. Williams

The Unknown Soldiers : African-American Troops in World War I

We Return Fighting : World War I and the Shaping of Modern Black Identity by the National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.)

Selected Archival Collections

Otis Tarleton Mansfield Papers. Six photographs of Otis Tarleton Mansfield and other African American soldiers who served in the U.S. Army and Navy during World War I. The papers also include Mansfield’s honorable discharge from the U.S. Naval Reserve Force and his war service certificate.

Portrait of World War I soldier Clarence Pullins
Portrait of World War I soldier Clarence Pullins, circa 1910s, African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph collection, MS 189, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library.

Rushing Family Photograph Collection. Includes 10 photographs of African American soldiers serving during World War I.

African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection. Includes various portraits of World War I soldiers and photographs depicting wartime period civic, social, and fraternal associations. 

Julian Bagley Collection. Julian Elihu Bagley, World War I veteran, served as the concierge of the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. He served as the opera house’s official greeter for 39 years beginning on its opening night on October 15, 1932.

D. G. Gibson Papers. Businessman and civic leader D. G. Gibson (1891-1973) served in the 92nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army fighting in France during World War I. Following the war, he moved to California in 1920 settling in the East Bay first as a real estate agent and then opening and operating one of the most successful distribution businesses on the West Coast.

A woman is seated next to a standing man in a World War 1 - style uniform
Emmett Sellers in military uniform standing in front of wooden building prior to reporting for military duty, 1918, Sellers family papers, MS 71, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library.

Ruth Beckford Papers. Includes interviews with E.A. Daley, publisher of the California Voice, discussing his wartime experiences and those of the 92nd Infantry Division and other African American officers.

Sellers Family Papers. Includes photographs of Emmett Sellers posing in his military uniform prior to reporting for duty for World War I.

Thelma Gibson Radden Papers. Includes a series of photograph taken of African American troops training for World War I at Camp Lewis, Washington.

Brownie McGhee Papers. Includes an interview with McGhee where he discusses his father's work in dye plants during World War I.

Tarea Hall and William Pittman Papers. William R. Pittman (1901-1984) was the first African American dentist to establish a practice in Berkeley, California and husband of civil rights leader Tarea Hall Pittman. He was raised in East Oakland and attended Fremont High School before enlisting in the Army and serving in World War I with the 365th Infantry with the American Expeditionary Forces in France.

African American Museum & Library at Oakland Vertical File Collection. Includes material related to Lester Loulin Moore's 1917 registration.

Additional Information

Search the library using the catalog.

Consult AAMLO's finding aids in the Online Archive of California.

We are working to create new resource guides. Have an idea for a new guide? Contact us at aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org.