Tuskegee Plaza on DSU main campus outside W.C.Jason library.
Photo Credit: T. Patterson
Military Heroes
Colin Powell once observed that "a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." This sentiment is mirrored dramatically in the story of African Americans in aerospace history.
Over the course of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, African Americans have expanded their participation in both military and civilian aviation and space flight, from the early pioneers and barnstormers through the Tuskegee airmen to Shuttle astronauts.
Featuring approximately two hundred historic and contemporary photographs and a lively narrative that spans eight decades of U.S. history,Black Wingsoffers a compelling overview of this extraordinary and inspiring saga.
Meticulously researched and wonderfully suspenseful, Blood for Dignity is the tale of a fascinating and little-known piece of World War II American history, seen through the eyes of 5th Platoon, K Company, 394th Regiment, 99th Division--the first black unit integrated with a white infantry company since the Revolutionary War. Thanks to in-depth interviews with many of those who fought in and alongside the 5th of K, author David P. Colley mixes the horrors of war with the intensely personal in a way that brings us closer to the brave men of this Platoon—.
Across black America during the Golden Age of Aviation, John C. Robinson was widely acclaimed as the long-awaited black Lindbergh. As the only African American who served during the war’s entirety, the Mississippi-born Robinson garnered widespread recognition, sparking an interest in aviation for young black men and women. While Robinson’s involvement with Tuskegee was only a small part of his overall contribution to opening the door for blacks in aviation, the success of the Tuskegee Airmen-the first African American military aviators in the U.S. armed forces-is one of the most recognized achievements in twentieth-century African American history.
Virgil Richardson has blazed his own unique trail through the twentieth century: a co-founder of Harlem's American Negro Theater and radio personality in 1930s, a World War II pilot, and an expatriate through much of the last fifty years. In 'Flight this remarkable man tells the story of his life in his own vivid words. 'Flight' draws the reader into the rich and fascinating life of a determined individual unwilling to accept the limited options available to him in Jim Crow America.
This book is a rare and important gift. One of the few memoirs of combat in World War II by a distinguished African-American flier, it is also perhaps the only account of the African-American experience in a German prison camp.Alexander Jefferson was one of 32 Tuskegee Airmen from the 332nd Fighter Group to be shot down defending a country that considered them to be second-class citizens. The book features the sketches, drawings, and other illustrations Jefferson created during his nine months as a "kriegie" (POW) and Lewis Carlson's authoritative background to the man, his unit, and the fight Alexander Jefferson fought so well.
They fought two wars. One, at home, against prejudice & the other, abroad, against the Germans. Thus, the cream of black youth shattered stereotypes that blacks did not have the intelligence to fly. They were called the Tuskegee Airmen after their training base at Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama. When finally, & reluctantly, accepted by a combat unit they joined the AAF in North Africa. They proved, without question, their skill in aerial combat as they accumulated a string of victories. The 332nd identification was a distinctive red tail on their P-51s. This earned them the nickname 'Red Tails.'
Based on extensive interviews with surviving members of the squadron, here is the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African-American pilots in the history of the U.S. military. The "Red Tails" escorted B-17s and B-24s on long bombing runs over Central Europe during World War II. Includes 16 pages of black-and-white halftones. Official source for the movie.
From the publisher: "THE FREEMAN FIELD MUTINY is a documented story about a "Mutiny" in the 477th Bombardment Group that occurred at Freeman Field, Seymour, Indiana, on April 5, 1945. This incident involved over 162 black officers. This history relates long & involved sordid acts of segregation committed by the white commanders of the Black 477th Bombardment Group, of which there were many. This action was unprecedented in the annals of the Army Air Forces. Those of us who followed our conscience & stood together at Freeman Field have some confidence that our actions helped make necessary, even inevitable the significant changes that would soon come."
Charles Flowers was among the first round of cadets to graduate from the training program at Tuskegee and the first African-American, miliary-trained flight instructor hired for the program. He trained more than ten percent of the 994 pilots who were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Filed. Mr. Flowers was the first president of the student government association at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina and one of a few living Americans to have received the honor of having a high school bear their name, Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, Maryland.
This book honors the Tuskegee Airmen, known as the "Red Tails" who never lost escorted bombers. Read the personal account of a fighter pilot who overcame segregation in Europe and the United States.
Tuskegees HeroesCooper and CooperThe incredible story of the men of the 99th, 1th, 31st and 32nd Fighter Squadrons and the 332nd Fighter Group. The story of the brave black men who fought in North Africa and Europe against the Nazis,whose fighter-escort planes never lost a bomber on any mission. This book tells their story through personal interviews, a large collection of archival photographs, and color paintings by Tuskegee Ai rman Roy LaGrone. Hdbd., 1 1/4x 1 1/4, 156 pgs., 12 bandw ill., 35 color.
