In 1941, 33 men from Tuskegee, Ala., made history by forming the first African-American aviation unit in the United States armed forces.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the honorable subjects of Red Tails, a film directed by Star Wars’ George Lucas that was released just last month, and now they’ll be the subjects of discussion at Thursday’s expert panel hosted by the Ohio University Department of African-American Studies.
Before 1940, the U.S. Military barred blacks from flying in the armed forces. Following the popular, prejudiced views of the Jim Crow era, the U.S. Army segregated soldiers based on skin color.
But after Civil Rights groups pressured the U.S. Military to allow black men to qualify for combat duty, the Selective Training and Service Act passed under the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The new law banned racial discrimination in military enlistment and paved the way for black pilots today.
“Red Tails shows the contribution of African-Americans to the allied victory in WWII and how they had to deal with the issues of discrimination and segregation of their time,” said Marvin Fletcher, a history professor at OU who will speak at the event.
Three aspects of the Tuskegee history will be integrated into the discussion led by three airmen experts from OU. While Fletcher will offer his historical perspective of African-American contributions in WWII, Lt. Col. Alejandro Cantu, a professor of Aerospace Studies at OU and commander of the Army Air Force ROTC Detachment 650, will discuss the theory of airpower and how the U.S. Army uses aircraft in modern-day war.
“(The Tuskegee Airmen) remind us of where we came from and why we shouldn’t assume that just because someone has a different skin color doesn’t mean they can’t achieve things,” Cantu said.
Retired OU administrator Charlene E. Smith, who authored the book Tuskegee Airmen: Biography of Charles McGee, will also add her historical expertise at the event, which will top off OU’s Black History Month festivities.
oy311909@ohiou.edu
If You Go:
What: Panel to discuss Tuskegee Airmen and Red Tails movie
Where: 240 Baker University Center
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
