Disturbances that began after a NYPD policeman shot and wounded a black U.S. Army soldier
The 1943 Harlem riot was one of five major race riots in the U.S. that year, exposing deep racial tensions on the home front during World War II.
Key Facts
- Dates
- August 1–2, 1943
- Deaths
- 5 people
- Injuries
- 400 people
- Trigger
- White NYPD officer shot Black soldier Robert Bandy
- Context
- One of five U.S. race riots in 1943
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On August 1, 1943, white police officer James Collins shot and wounded Robert Bandy, an African American U.S. Army soldier, in Harlem. Rumors quickly spread among Black residents that the soldier had been killed, inflaming longstanding grievances over racial discrimination and police conduct during wartime.
Over the nights of August 1 and 2, Black residents of Harlem directed violence primarily against white-owned property in the neighborhood. The unrest was part of a broader pattern of racial conflict across the United States in 1943, with simultaneous riots occurring in Detroit, Beaumont, Mobile, and Los Angeles.
The riot resulted in five deaths and approximately 400 injuries. It drew national attention to racial inequality and police treatment of African Americans at a time when Black soldiers were serving in a segregated military, intensifying calls for civil rights reform on the domestic front.
Political Outcome
The riot resulted in 5 deaths and ~400 injuries; it highlighted systemic racial tensions in wartime America and pressured authorities to address police conduct and racial discrimination.