Following World War II, America was witness to two great struggles. The first was onthe international front and involved the fight for freedom around the globe, as millionsof people in Asia and Africa rose up to throw off their European colonial masters.

This volume focuses specifically on the role of African Americans in U.S. foreign policy since World War II, where the fight for civil rights and equality at home quickly spilled over into concerns regarding race and foreign policy. A tremendous interest in the decolonization of Africa, efforts to have an African American voice heard in the United Nations and in domestic debates about America's diplomacy, and protest against the Vietnam War were all indications that for many African Americans race was now a global issue.