The National Advertising Council promised that stories and advertisements for consumer products would promote enlistment in the military and volunteerism at home. The “idealized” America that was depicted by public relations firms and the media reflected a segregated society. Women of color participated in the Double V Campaign for victory over segregation at home as well as victory overseas.

Before World War II, the prevailing view of a woman’s role was that of wife and mother. Many occupations were reserved for men, and some states barred married women from holding jobs. The need to mobilize the entire population behind the war effort was so compelling that political and social leaders agreed that both women and men would have to change their perceptions of gender roles -- at least as long as there was a national emergency. Women were told that they must contribute in a wide variety of ways…