July 19, 1941

On July 19, 1941, the U.S. Air Force began a program in Tuskegee, Alabama to train black Americans as military pilots. At the time, the Army was segregated, and only whites were allowed to fly. In the five years that followed, 992 black pilots graduated, receiving commissions and pilot wings. These black World War II pilots, who fought both fascism and racism, became known as the Tuskegee Airman.

Honor Thy Father: A Tuskegee Airman
Originally created in 1997 as a Christmas gift for her father, the public’s reaction was so overwhelming, that Phyllis Gomer-Douglas decided to not only keep the site online, but to continue to update it. With first-person stories and photos, Gomer-Douglas pays tribute to her father, Joseph P. Gomer, and his fellow Tuskegee airmen. “During World War II, black fighter pilots fought the Germans abroad and racism in the ranks … may we never forget … and may future generations understand the way it was.”

[Continue reading Tuskegee Airmen]

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