Commemorating Black History Month

Officers of Famous [African American] Regiment which Arrived Home on the "France". Left to right: Major J.R. White; Lieutenant Colonel Otis B. Duncan, highest ranking [African American] officer in United States Army; Lieutenant W.J. Warfield. The first of Colonel William Hayward

Commemorating Black History Month

African-Americans in the First World War

Four all-Black regiments made up the American 93^rd Division (provisional): 369^th, 370^th, 371^st, and 372^nd. They were among the first troops to arrive in France.

Against the wishes of the Allies, American troops all fought under American command, all except the four regiments of Black troops. They were seconded to the French where they fought, not as a division, but as parts of several French divisions.

Originally, the troops were to be assigned transport and logistical duties, not front-line combat. But Allied needs trumped American bigotry and the troops were parceled out in regiments. Interestingly, the commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was Black Jack Pershing, whose nick name came from his time commanding the Black troopers of the US 10^th Cavalry.

The 370^th had the distinction of being the only regiment with Black officers (the image shows Major J. R. White; Lt. Colonel Otis Duncan, the highest ranking Black American officer in combat, and Lieutenant W. J. Warfield).

The troops were to serve with distinction, garnering both individual awards and unit citations, all from France.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of treatment that is based firmly on research findings. It places emphasis on changing your cognitions (thoughts) or behaviors (actions) in order to effect change in how you feel. These approaches help people in achieving specific changes or goals.

Changes or goals might involve:

A way of acting: like smoking less or being more outgoing;
A way of feeling: like helping a person to be less scared, less depressed, or less anxious;
A way of thinking: like learning to problem-solve or get rid of self-defeating thoughts;
A way of dealing with physical or medical problems: like reducing back pain or helping a person stick to a doctor’s suggestions.

Cognitive behavioral therapists usually focus more on the current situation and its solution, rather than the past. They concentrate on a person’s views and beliefs about their life. CBT is an effective treatment for individuals, parents, children, couples, and families. The goal of CBT is to help people improve and gain more control over their lives by changing behaviors that don’t work well to ones that do.

How to Get Help

If you are looking for help, either for yourself or someone else, you may be tempted to call someone who advertises in a local publication or who comes up from a search of the Internet. You may, or may not, find a competent therapist in this manner. It is wise to check on the credentials of a psychotherapist. It is expected that competent therapists hold advanced academic degrees. They should be listed as members of professional organizations, such as the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies or the American Psychological Association. Of course, they should be licensed to practice in your state. You can find competent specialists who are affiliated with local universities or mental health facilities or who are listed on the websites of professional organizations. You may, of course, visit our website (www.abct.org) and click on “Find a CBT Therapist”

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) is an interdisciplinary organization committed to the advancement of a scientific approach to the understanding and amelioration of problems of the human condition. These aims are achieved through the investigation and application of behavioral, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to assessment, prevention, and treatment.