Black History Month in Focus: the story of a US airman and educator
February is Black History month in the United States – a time in which the whole nation together remembers the trials that Americans of African descent have faced and celebrates their achievements.
The story of the first black fighter pilots to see combat is one of the great chapters in US history.
The Tuskeegee Airmen, as they were known after their training base that was part of the Tuskeegee Institute – the storied university founded as a technical college by the visionary American educator, Booker T. Washington, who was born a slave and who became one of the great social and political figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – served with distinction in North Africa and Italy during World War II.
On the invitation of the US State Dept., a veteran of the unit, Dr. Eugene Richardson Jr., visited Rome this month to give a series of talks about the contribution the Airmen made, not only to the cause of victory in war, but to the cause of civil rights and racial justice at home. He told Chris Altieri his story. Listen
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