1943 – Race Riot in Detroit Sparks Global Scrutiny

Although centered in the U.S., the Detroit race riot of June 2, 1943, had international ramifications. News of the violence spread rapidly across Axis and Allied nations during World War II, providing ammunition for Nazi propaganda that condemned American democracy as racially hypocritical. African and Caribbean leaders and intellectuals took note, using the riot as evidence in their push for decolonization and global racial justice. Prominent figures like George Padmore and Jomo Kenyatta referenced such American racial violence when building solidarity movements across Africa and the Caribbean. The riot resulted in over 30 deaths and deepened calls for civil and human rights globally, connecting African American struggles to anti-colonial resistance movements.