An overview of the role and history of the American Black Press during the Second World War and how its comic strips and editorial cartoons illustrated the complicated discourse over whether or not Black Americans should abstain from the war effort or participate, as well as the ways in which this participation should be done. By using comics and cartoons from the most prominent Black newspapers of the time, this article dives into a conversation that has been around since the American Revolution, one that questions whether Black societal advancement comes with Black participation or if this participation is simply a tool used by the United States with no obligation to return the favor. Examples used within this article range from the Pittsburgh Courier’s famous “Double V” campaign, an attempt to frame the war as a simultaneous fight abroad against fascism and a fight at home against segregation, to pro and anti-war comic strips and cartoons, as well as the uncritical, pro-war propaganda of Charles Alston issued by the Office of War Information for distribution in the Black Press.