The Double V

International City Theatre presents a historical drama about the first Black civil rights movement in the U.S. In 1942, his attempt to enlist in the army rejected because of his color, 26-year-old James G. Thompson of Wichita, Kansas wrote a letter to the editor of The Pittsburgh Courier, at the time the most highly circulated Black newspaper with a readership of over 350,000. “Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?” he asked… leading the Courier to kick off the “Double V” campaign. Building on the popular “V for Victory” slogan that called for triumph in the war, the super-imposed, second “V” called for victory in the fight for racial equality — in the army, the navy, and in all aspects of segregated daily life.