New bill would provide the families of Black veterans of World War II a transferable benefit that their descendants can use to attend college, secure housing, start businesses and build generational wealth

The son of a veteran, Senator Reverend Warnock has worked diligently in Washington to strengthen federal resources for active servicemembers, their families and veterans

Over the summer, Senator Warnock passed legislation to address disparities experienced by veterans of color in accessing vital Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Racial inequity in how the immense benefits of the original G.I. 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 the benefits they earned through service and sacrifice. The G.I. Bill Restoration Act represents a major step toward righting this injustice and repairing the economic harms experienced by Black WWII veterans and their families”

AP Exclusive: Veterans Day legislation targets G.I. Bill racial inequities – MORE HERE

Washington, D.C. — In 1944 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill into law. In theory, the G.I. Bill represented a promise from the country to the people who fought on its behalf that their sacrifice would be rewarded with the opportunity to attend college and build generational wealth. In practice, generations of Black veterans of World War II and their descendants were robbed of this promise because of Jim Crow and the wide racial disparity in the bill’s implementation. 

In honor of Veterans Day, 77 years later, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), along with House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and U.S. Representative Seth Moulton, (D-MA), introduced legislation today designed to begin to repair the damage: The Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox G.I. Bill Restoration Act of 2021, more simply known as the G.I. Bill Restoration Act. The bill would provide the families of Black veterans of World War II a transferable benefit that their descendants can use to attend college, secure housing, start businesses and build generational wealth. The bill is named in honor of two World War II veterans who exemplify the indignities African American veterans faced after serving their country.

“Black servicemembers fought valiantly in Europe and the Pacific for freedom from tyranny, with hope that their patriotism would be greeted with equality and opportunity once they returned home,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “Racial inequity in how the immense benefits of the original G.I. 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 the benefits they earned through service and sacrifice.”

“The G.I. Bill Restoration Act represents a major step toward righting this injustice and repairing the economic harms experienced by Black WWII veterans and their families as a result of discrimination, and will help ensure their descendants can access the full range of G.I. Bill benefits they earned through their heroic service,” Senator Reverend Warnock added.

The son of a veteran, Senator Warnock has long championed strengthening federal resources for active service members, their families and veterans as the Senator uniquely understands the importance of caring for those who answered the call to service. To that end, in August, Senator Warnock passed legislation to address disparities in access to vital Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits experienced by veterans of color.

Specifically, the G.I. Bill Restoration Act would:

• Extend access to the VA Loan Guaranty Program to the surviving spouse and certain direct descendants of Black World War II veterans who are alive at the time of the bill’s enactment;

• Extend access to the Post-911 GI Bill educational assistance benefits to the surviving spouse and certain direct descendants of Black World War II veterans alive at the time of the bill’s enactment;

• Require a Government Accountability Office report outlining the number of individuals who received the educational and housing benefits; and

• Establish a Blue-Ribbon Panel of independent experts to study inequities in the distribution of benefits and assistance administered to female and minority members of the Armed Forces and provide recommendations on additional assistance to repair those inequities.

Additional Background

Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr.

Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. was traveling home by bus to Winnsboro, South Carolina, still wearing his uniform after being honorably discharged, when a small-town police chief forcibly removed him from the bus and blinded him with his nightstick.  The police chief was acquitted of the crime by an all-white jury, but Sgt. Woodard’s horrific abuse prompted President Truman to sign an Executive Order integrating the armed services.

Sgt. Joseph Maddox

After being injured during his service and medically discharged, Sgt. Joseph Maddox, a World War II-era veteran, applied and was accepted to Harvard University for a master’s degree program. He sought VA assistance from his local office to help with the tuition and was denied payment to “avoid setting a precedent.” After seeking assistance from the NAACP, the VA in Washington, D.C. ultimately promised to get Sgt. Maddox the educational benefits he deserved.

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