Freedom Fighters in the Sky

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            In 1944, thousands of African-American pilots flew out of American bases in Europe to fight the German Nazi regime in World War II. As much as they wanted to find equality in the right to fight, they were prohibited in their own home country from mixing with whites. Their story? It is the story of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Image from Google Images
            I kicked off my war film series with Anthony Hemingway’s Red Tails, which starred Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. among many other talented actors. Red Tails portrayed a historically fictional depiction of the Tuskegee Airmen’s plight during WWII and the dawn of the incorporation of black pilots in combat missions, which eventually led to desegregation of the military. With its fast-paced action as well as its realistic scenes of racism and camaraderie built between African-Americans and some of the white companions, Red Tails portrayed quite an accurate memoir of
African-American pilots in combat throughout WWII.
            Although the film had its fast-paced action and WWII memorial, the public did not provide the turnout during opening weekend. The film debuted in theaters in January 2012, but I, for one, did not actually see the film until a few weeks ago. So how can we keep these heroes’ stories alive when there are so few left of them today?
            The Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated is a non-for-profit organization with multiple chapters across the nation. In fact, the St. Louis, MO chapter just hosted the 42nd Annual Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated Convention last weekend. The surviving Tuskegee airmen, their wives and widows of passed airmen attended the Convention. Most importantly, the Convention included a component that focused on preparing the next generation for tomorrow’s challenges of aviation and cooperation among different culture in their Youth Day. More information can be found in St. Louis Public Radio’s/NPR’s recent article here.
            And the story continues throughout theater as well! The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis will be performing Fly, written by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan. The play will feature a fictional account of four Tuskegee airmen as they try to survive in war and survive on the ground with the reality of racism throughout the U.S. military. The play will debut at the Rep this October with more details found on the website. Hats off to the pioneers of theater and film that continue the story of the Tuskegee Airmen!
            Even though the account of the Tuskegee Airmen occurred almost 70 years ago, their story cannot be forgotten because there are trials and struggles against racism to be fought today. In the age of a black American president, we still have a long way to go to incorporate more diversity and to eradicate bigotry in our schools, in our workforce and in our neighborhoods before we can lay down the gauntlet. And the story of the Tuskegee Airmen is just one of those encouraging stories to help us keep pressing on.

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