An african American nurse, joined the racially segregated army in Jim Crow-era Arizona during World War II, Elinor Powell. The discrimination she encountered compounded after she fell in love with Frederick Albert, a German prisoner of war to whom she ended up being assigned. Journalist Alexis Clark told the NewsHour Weekend’s Ivette Feliciano in regards to the couple’s unlikely story and her guide, “Enemies in adore.”
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IVETTE FELICIANO:
German soldier Frederick Albert had been captured in Italy in 1944 and taken up to a prisoner of war camp in Arizona where he came across African American nurse, Elinor Powell.
IVETTE FELICIANO:
So just how did they satisfy? And what is the whole tale of their courtship?
ALEXIS CLARK:
Frederick, who was a cook that is great and a baker, worked in a mess hallway. And, evidently, he saw Elinor for the time that is first he stepped right as much as her and stated, “You should be aware my title. I’m the man who is going to marry you.”
IVETTE FELICIANO:
Plus it ended up being all sailing that is smooth here?
ALEXIS CLARK:
Well, she had been surprised, of course. I mean, listed here is this prisoner that is german of, you know, hitting on her behalf. Broad daylight. And so it had been apparent that he was, you understand, wanting to court her.
IVETTE FELICIANO:
Will there be such a thing about their respective upbringings them more open to an interracial romance that you feel made?
ALEXIS CLARK:
She ended up being from a prominent family that is black the Boston suburbs. It was really extremely progressive. It was called Milton, Massachusetts. Went to white schools. Had white friends. And she ended up being from an educated family members. So although she knew about discrimination. She ended up being largely secluded from that.
Now on the other hand, Frederick ended up being from Nazi Germany. And he was from the really family that is wealthy. a family that is prominent. And additionally they had been nationalists that are german. Now although they didn’t join the Nazi celebration, these people were believers in Hitler, plus the German kingdom. But Frederick ended up being an artist. And ended up being incredibly into jazz. And to ensure that had been outlawed in Germany by Hitler, but he snuck around and would pay attention to it. So this impression was had by him of African Us americans. They certainly were creative. These were warm. All the stuff which he never ever felt growing up in their family members, because he had a really dysfunctional relationship with his dad, in specific. Because he wasn’t a military guy. He had beenn’t in to the war. He really was this creative, free nature. Therefore he saw Elinor, and attached each one of these feelings and some ideas, and fell madly in deep love with her. So that they started initially to see one another in secret. He volunteered at the hospital in addition they were able to continue these secret rendezvous, and began a romance that is full-blown.
They found one another when you think about two people who never should’ve been falling in love with each other. And that is what makes this whole tale, if you ask me, even even more unbelievable. I mean, he had been a soldier. She had been although discriminated against, she nevertheless had been a american officer in the military. So they really had been committing a criminal activity, actually.
IVETTE FELICIANO:
If caught dating an enemy POW, Elinor might have been court martialed and imprisoned. But which wasn’t the only crime. Frederick was white and Elinor ended up being black colored, in addition they wished to marry. In Arizona in 1944, that too was up against the law
IVETTE FELICIANO:
Just How were they capable get married?
ALEXIS CLARK:
After the war ended, most 
of the German POWs were deported. So Elinor and Frederick I suggest, call it rebellion that is youthful. I don’t know. Insanity. They knew that they the simplest way that they could reunite is if they conceived a young child. So they really did. So he’s deported. She comes back home. Pregnant because of the German POW’s child. And their plan worked. He returned in 1947 because he was allowed to get a sponsorship and. Plus they married in New York.
IVETTE FELICIANO:
Interracial marriage had been permitted in brand New York State. But that don’t mean their life were going to be easy.
ALEXIS CLARK:
They started getting around, having a complete lot of difficulty getting, also, leases, because nobody desired to live close to them. He couldn’t really obtain a job. So that they made the decision that they should proceed to Germany because he was groomed to take his father over’s business. It absolutely was terrible. Elinor had been treated badly. His mom had not been excited about having a daughter-in-law that is black making that specific. They left Germany after having a year and a half. And then they relocated back in to the United States. They first settled in a few suburbs outside of Philadelphia. They couldn’t register their son in school they wanted to. They were told to visit a black college. So here they certainly were, working with racism on both edges of this Atlantic, right?
In addition they find yourself settling in Connecticut, where he gets a working work with Pepperidge Farm. And there is this grouped community called Village Creek, that is in Southern Norwalk. That it is in their covenants, it is advertised as “a prejudice-free area.” Because it was a community that welcomed mixed-race couples so they settle there.
IVETTE FELICIANO:
Frederick and Elinor had two sons and invested the others of these lives in that Village Creek community. He died in 2001 and she in 2005.
IVETTE FELICIANO:
Just what exactly you think we are able to study on this piece of US history that you’ve documented? Why is this tale today that is important?
ALEXIS CLARK:
They didn’t let racism win. And you are thought by me can always study from that. And particularly now. I do believe we are such partisan times. We know already that there surely is a rise in hate groups. I do believe racism is really a lot more overt, in your face, now. I like stories like these, when you show that that’s not going to win. And I think we need to be reminded among these stories of perseverance, of courage. Of hardship. But, at the end, there exists a happy ending.