The Golden Thirteen: How Black Men Won the Right to Wear Navy Gold

Journalist Goldberg debuts with a carefully documented chronicle of efforts to fully integrate the U.S. Navy during WWII. Prior to 1942, black men had been restricted to cooking and cleaning for white sailors. Pressured by civil rights leaders, the black press, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President Franklin Roosevelt pushed Navy Secretary Frank Knox (who believed that mixing black and white crews would “invite discord” aboard ships) to allow African Americans to train as quartermasters and electrician’s mates. By September 1943, Goldberg writes, the politics of not commissioning black sailors as officers had become untenable. Sixteen candidates were selected for a secret 10-week training program and passed “with flying colors,” though the navy only commissioned 12 (the 13th was made a warrant officer). Restricted from combat roles, the “Golden Thirteen” performed ably as commanders of logistics companies and harbor craft, proving that segregation had been both inefficient and unnecessary. Though the narrative drags somewhat—the officer training program doesn’t start until more than halfway through—Goldberg skillfully interweaves his exhaustive account of the pressure campaign for equality with profiles of the individual sailors, showcasing their remarkable equanimity in the face of discrimination. This stirring portrait shines a well-deserved spotlight on a little-known victory in the fight for civil rights. (May)