On this day in 1919, Black soldiers returning home from World War I are being celebrated in the seaport city of Norfolk, Virginia. Nearly 370,000 Black men had served in the military during the war, forced into segregated units and largely relegated to labor duty: digging trenches, loading cargo, building roads. Denied posts alongside white American troops, some were sent into combat under French command.

During the homecoming parade, police attempt to arrest a Black attendee after an alleged scuffle breaks out. The arrest ignites the crowd. A white mob gathers, and tensions explode into gunfire and rioting that spreads into Norfolk's Black neighborhoods.

Two Black men are killed. Several others are wounded, including two policemen.

The Navy and Marines are called in to restore order.