Racial Discrimination Kept Black People from Flying in Air Force

Before WORLD WAR I, military service represented a source of black pride. Black educators, clergymen, and the press frequently referred to Negro heroes of America’s past wars. After the Civil War, the U.S, Army maintained four regular Negro regiments –the 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th Infantry. These units included veterans of the civil war and the frontier Indian fighting regiments. Retired sergeants often became respected, conservative leaders in their communities. This history set a foundation for black support and involvement in America’s future wars.

Many people know of the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, they were the first African American Fighting group that flew combat missions for the United States military in World War II. Throughout their time overseas they were breaking down racial barriers by proving that colored men can fly a plane just as well as their white aviation counterparts. In order to get their chance to prove that they were able to serve their country, many things had to go right before they were allowed to take their wheels off the ground. They faced constant discrimination but because of that discrimination they were able to conquer the stereotypes and rise to become some of the most decorated

Have you ever faced a crucial turning point that impacted yourself and others? Melba Pattillo Beals from the memoir “Warriors Don’t Cry”, Jackie Robinson from the autobiography “I Never Had It Made”, and Feng Ru from the article “  The Father of Chinese Aviation” by Rebecca Maskel all faced life-changing events. During those turning points, they overcame difficult challenges. Melba Pattillo Beals, Jackie Robinson, and Feng Ru overcame challenges, faced turning points and had an impact on themselves and their countries.

Prior to WWII, the U.S. Air Force did not employ African Americans in any role. However in 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the Air Corps to build an all Negro flying unit. The presidential order caused the Army to create the 99th Pursuit Squadron(Tuskegee Airmen 2). To develop the Negro pilots needed for the new squadron, the Air Corps opened a new training base in central Alabama, at the Tuskegee Institute(Tuskegee Experiment 1).

Many have heard of the Tuskegee Airmen and their accomplishments. They were a group of African American fighter pilots. They proved to be quite vital to the success of World War II. What many people may not know is the Tuskegee Airmen had several squadrons which fought throughout Europe during the war. The most famous squadron was the 332nd fighter squadron, they were commonly known as the Red Tails. Charles McGee was among those men apart of the Red Tail squadron. Charles McGee is one of most notable men in the Red Tails due to his accomplishments throughout the war. I will be explaining his life and all of his accomplishments throughout this paper on famous individuals in aviation.

Being the first of anything is never easy, especially when you are representing a whole race. Knowing this, it was difficult for the Tuskegee Airmen, a.k.a. Red Tails for the red mark on the tail of their aircraft, to participate in World War II as the first African-American pilots in history. They served from 1943-1945, collecting marvelous records and earning great respect for their performance. But most importantly, the Red Tails helped attain equal rights for African-Americans. The Tuskegee Airmen showed persistence in the struggle to participate in the war, which set a precedent for colored-people, they showed

On July 19, 1941, the Tuskegee Institute, started by Booker T. Washington, opened its first aviation cadet class. This was also the first pilot class to open for African American students. Historically, this was a major point for all blacks in America. This was an invite to prove their mettle fighting and piloting alongside white men. This program was run by Col. Noel F. Parrish. Many black men were excited and jumped to join the bandwagon. In fact, Lt. Col. Dryden stated, “We had to be number one, whether we were mechanics, cooks, maintenance.. Nurses, pilots or whatever! We had to be number one! That’s was to be expected.” This was the mind set and they proved it.

That is one of the reasons I joined the military because there are still clear lines of division in race even in the military. The clear line I speak of is then majority Minority derive on the enlisted side of the military. I feel that it is my duty to form ignorant of ways to still be effective and serve our people. I will be a military officer and the new future and I only hope then I can have at least at a third of What this omega Man has

It wasn’t until I earned a few college degrees that the military would even entertain my packets for promotion where I was station. Once I realized my ignorance regarding not just racism but also sexism I found myself encouraging minorities to obtain an education in order to compete. As Spencer (2008) said in his article “education and employment opportunity, he was made in his opinion palatable to the dominant culture.” This article compels me to think of situations from my past life experiences. It amazed me how much I overlooked some hurdles that I overcame when it comes to racism and/or sexism. My reflection involved my critical thinking skills to determine if I deliberately block it out or did I truly forget. I found myself questioning my experience and opportunity to search for new perspectives and new solutions if

Evans, Louwanda, and Joe Feagin. "Middle-Class African American Pilots: The Continuing Significance of Racism." American Behavioral Scientist, 56.5 (2012): 650-665.

I thought it was my duty to risk my life to learn aviation and to encourage men and women of the Race who are so far behind the white men in this special line. I made up my mind to try, I tried and was successful. But I shall never be satisfied until we have men of the Race who can fly. .of course it takes one with courage, nerve, and ambition to fly.but

‘The US military tested recruits to assign rank and found that black applicants scored lower than whites. However, analysis of the recruits were found to be due to educational differences; black recruits scored very low until the 1950s, when an increase in score corresponded to improved educational standards for all.’

If only it was that easy, although there are many examples that this can and has happened. There is also a belief in most work forces that working hard is just not enough. Who you know, where you are from, color of your skin, accent and even opinions can stifle some opportunities. The example of Collen Powell is a success story and can be justified simply by the structure of the military where there is supposed to be no color on the battle field other than the color of the uniform which fits Alger’s views

The United States Army is a gigantic institute with an international presence. One of its fundamental sources of power is the diversity of its personnel, which includes 1.6 million workforce across the active, reserve, civilian, and contractor parts. While the Army was at the vanguard of ethnic incorporation in the 1950s and at present is one of the most assorted institutes in the U.S., further advancement must be made on the diversity front. The term "diversity" can be classified along countless aspects; this paper concentrates on racial diversity since the exceptional and traditionally important role that race has in matters of diversity in the Army. Internal communications concerning delegate leadership throughout the force, the Army sketches power from its cultural and racial diversity.

From the RCG, black lieutenant colonel, Edward Rice, gave his theory as to why so few air pilots are black. He reasoned that it is because the people instructing the black trainees are white. Since they are white they have that old suspicion in their head that blacks are less skilled and intelligent in comparison to a white trainee. As a result, the pilot trainer may take the stick away from the black trainee. If this were to happen often, the black trainee would not move on to more training, making it a theory for the lack of black pilots.