March 1942
The War Production Board's fabric rationing order was enforced selectively against zoot suits — the fashion of Black, Mexican American, and Filipino youth — framing them as unpatriotic. Press coverage criminalized young men of color who wore them, setting the stage for the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in which servicemen attacked civilians.
An interracial group in Chicago founds the Congress of Racial Equality, pioneering Gandhian nonviolent direct action and the first sit-ins.
Events
- March 1942War Production Board Bans Zoot Suits; Criminalizes Black Youth Style
The War Production Board's fabric rationing order was enforced selectively against zoot suits — the fashion of Black, Mexican American, and Filipino youth — framing them as unpatriotic. Press coverage criminalized young men of color who wore them, setting the stage for the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in which servicemen attacked civilians.
- March 1942CORE is founded
An interracial group in Chicago founds the Congress of Racial Equality, pioneering Gandhian nonviolent direct action and the first sit-ins.