The WWI affected directly all African Americans, soldiers and civilians. By the time of the war most African Americans face social, economic and political challenges, most of them had huge debt and lived in poverty. They faced social and political oppression - they were stripped of their right to vote through both legal and extralegal means-.
But because of the war US industrial economy grew significantly, because of that there was a major migration from southern African Americans to the North. Many African Americans that used to work in agriculture started to work in industrial centers.
Even though African Americans endured residential segregation, job discrimination and hostilities of white residents, this also created ghettos.
