Timeline: 1917
Tau Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha chartered at the University of Illinois.
April 6: The United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I.
August 28: The all African American 8th Regiment of the Illinois National Guard was mustered. The regiment was comprised of 12 companies from around the state. By then many young African Americans from Champaign County had enlisted in Danville, the local recruiting office.
December: The 8th was designated as the 370th Infantry Regiment and was assigned to the 93rd Division of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). It was one of the very few Black fighting units in the war. All the Black fighting units were assigned to fight alongside the French Army.
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