Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of the G.I. Bill.
The legislation, which helped pave the way for veterans’ benefits, has a long and complicated history.
President Franklin Roosevelt, who signed the bill into law, wanted to ensure all veterans received benefits like low-cost mortgages and college tuition.
But the bill that Congress passed turned over administration of those benefits to states, resulting in widespread denial to African-American veterans across the U.S.
This fact was cited Wednesay by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates in his testimony before a congressional hearing on reparations for slavery.
He cited it as just one example of the U.S. government ensuring wealth did not reach African-Americans in the country.
To learn more about the history of the bill, The Show spoke with Lindsey Cormack, assistant professor at Stevens Institute of Technology and the author of " Congress and U.S. Veterans: From the GI Bill to the VA Crisis."
