DOUBLE V

Double V was a campaign to raise awareness of segregation during World War II. The "double V" stood for "Victory abroad and victory at home" and was initially suggested by a letter written by James Thompson to the editors of the Pittsburgh Courier. The Courier, in reaction to strong reader support for Thompson's idea, launched a publicity campaign in support of Thompson's idea. The campaign drew especial attention to the practice of segregating the troops that was then the norm in the United States armed forces. The military attempted to suppress the campaign and J. Edgar Hoover sought to prosecute the publishers of black newspapers supporting the campaign with treason, but was prevented from doing so by Attorney General Francis Biddle on the condition that the black papers not publish anything that failed to support the war.

Executive Order 9981, signed on July 26, 1948 by President Harry S. Truman, ended the practice of segregating troops by race in the American armed forces.