Emmett J. Scott Appointed Special Assistant to Secretary of War for Black Affairs

Emmett J. Scott, former secretary to Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee Institute, was appointed Special Assistant to the Secretary of War Newton Baker in 1917 — the highest federal position held by a Black American at that time. Scott served as liaison between the War Department and the Black community during World War I, working to address discrimination against Black soldiers while navigating the tension between loyalty and protest.