Henry Johnson was an African American born in 1898 in the South, at nine years old his family moved to Albany, New York to take advantage of the economic opportunities available there. When World War I broke out in Europe Henry Johnson joined the newly formed black New York National Guard unit. These black soldiers trained on the streets of New York City using broomsticks as rifles. When the United States entered the war Henry’s National Guard unit was activated and reluctantly sent to Europe.
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