Black workers in the US Military: Immune or Infectious? with Khary Polk
Episode 48 - February 11, 2021
Khary Polk (Amherst College) joins the Infectious Historians to talk about his recent book on African-American workers in the US military, particularly in the context of their perceived immunity to certain infectious diseases such as Yellow Fever. The conversation touches upon several related topics, such as patriotism and gender roles in the military. Khary also describes how racial thinking shifted over time, and how African-American troops were (mis-)treated within the military over the first half of the twentieth century. The conversation concludes with the potential links between Khary’s research and the Covid pandemic.
Further Reading
- Allan Brandt, No Magic Bullet: A Social History of Venereal Disease in the United States Since 1880
- George Walker, Venereal Disease in the American Expeditionary Forces (1922)
- Easy to Get (US Army Force Training Film on Black Soldiers & Venereal Disease, 1947)
- Maria Höhn & Martin Klimke, A Breath of Freedom: The Civil Rights Struggle, African American GIs, and Germany
- David P. Colley, The Road to Victory: The Untold Story of World War II's Red Ball Express
- Colin Powell, My American Journey: An Autobiography
Our Guest
Khary Oronde Polk,
Associate Professor of Black Studies and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies.
