Pitts exposes institutional racism as well, as the Allied French leaders worked to minimize the contributions of the colonial soldiers. In attempting to skew history and portray solely white soldiers as the war heroes, Black soldiers were turned away from Paris for the Victory in Europe Day. Pitts claims that no non-white soldiers are seen in the footage of the liberation of Paris, even though de Gaulle’s troops were considered to be the true heroes of the war and were two-thirds people of color. There are statistics showing that some non-white soldiers were present at the event, further proving this blanchissement, or whitening, of the Free French Forces in media representation. Instead of being acknowledged for their valiant efforts and celebrated by the society they risked their lives to save, Black colonial soldiers were stripped of their uniforms, sent to holding camps, and then shipped back to their homes in the colonies.