Why were the Harlem Hellfighters excluded from the Rainbow Division farewell parade?

The Harlem Hellfighters, then known as the 15th New York Infantry Regiment, were excluded from the Rainbow Division farewell parade in 1917 due to systemic racial discrimination. When the regiment's commander, William Hayward, attempted to have his unit join the procession, he was reportedly told that the 15th would not be allowed to participate because "black is not a color of the rainbow."1

This exclusion reflected the broader climate of bigotry and segregation within the United States Army at the time, which kept African American soldiers in separate units and often subjected them to unequal treatment. Despite this discriminatory denial of their place in the 1917 parade, the regiment later achieved significant recognition for its bravery in World War I and was honored with a triumphant victory parade up Fifth Avenue in New York City on February 17, 1919.2134