Bill would grant benefits to descendants of Black WWII veterans

Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Two House Democrats announced plans Thursday to reintroduce a bill to compensate the families of Black veterans who served in WWII but were denied the advantages of the original GI Bill.

House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., and U.S. Rep Seth Moulton, D-Mass., are sponsoring the bill, which would include funds for the veterans' descendants to use for college, housing or starting a business.

The bill would extend the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which provides education benefits for the latest generation of service members and veterans, including payments of tuition and fees. It would also expand access to the VA Loan Guaranty Program to assist the veterans and their families in obtaining home loans.

Clyburn said in a statement to NBC News that many Black WWII veterans were unjustly treated after returning home and had only limited access to GI benefits due to racial disparity in the 1944 bill's implementation.

"It is important to acknowledge this injustice and help address the wealth gap that was exacerbated by the government's failure to fulfill this promise to World War II veterans of color," he said.

U.S. Rep. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said in a statement that Black service members expected their fight against tyranny in the Pacific and Europe to be rewarded with opportunity.

"Racial inequity in how the immense benefits of the original GI Bill were disbursed are well-documented, and we've all seen how these inequities have trickled down over time, leaving Black World War II veterans and their families without what they earned through service and sacrifice," Warnock said.

The GI Bill has been called the nation's most successful piece of legislation ever, Moulton said.

"But most Americans don't know that many Black veterans were left out: denied benefits, denied homes, denied the generational wealth that comes from going to college," he told WPDE.