A West Virginia University professor who has been researching the experience of black soldiers in World War I will speak to Congress about the time period’s similarities to the nation’s current racial climate.
Associate Professor Joel Beeson of the Reed College of Media has spent the past decade researching the topic. He is one of three professors invited to the special briefing on Thursday in honor of Black History Month.
The university says speakers will focus on the contributions of African-Americans during World War I.
Beeson says the past contains valuable lessons about how social and economic problems divide people.