WHICH OWNS LABELS LIKE CHRISTIAN
DIOR AND LOUIS VUITTON.
>>> FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY
MONTH.
ALL MONTH LONG, WE’VE BEEN
INTRODUCING YOU TO SOME OF THE
PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED SHAPE OUR
HISTORY.
OUR NEXT GUEST FLEW INTO HISTORY
BACK IN THE 1940s AS A PART OF
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN.
I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO HARRY
STEWART.
HI, HARRY!
>> HI THERE.
>> Kim: AND JOINING HIM IS MARK
VOIGHT WHO FOLLOWED IN HIS
FOOTSTEPS OR SHOULD I SAY TAIL
WIND?
SO WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Kim: LET’S SET THE SCENE WITH
BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
SO HARRY, CAN YOU PLEASE TELL
ALL OF OUR VIEWERS WATCHING
RIGHT NOW WHO THE TUSKEGEE
AIRMEN ARE AND HOW YOU MADE YOUR
MARK IN HISTORY?
>> LET’S START BY SEEING YOU THE
KEY GO AIRMEN, THE TERM WAS NOT
USED UNTIL 1950 -- SOMEWHERE IN
THE LATE 50s, WHERE A WRITER BY
THE NAME OF CHARLES FRANCIS
DECIDED HE WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT
THE BLACK AIRMEN WHO FLEW DURING
WORLD WAR II.
AND FOR WANT OF A NAME, HE USED
THE NAME WHERE THEY TRAINED, IN
TUSKEGEE ALABAMA, SO HENCE THE
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN.
THROUGHOUT WORLD WAR II NO ONE
HAD EVER HEARD THAT NAME.
BUT THAT’S HOW THEY WERE FORMED.
ABOUT A THOUSAND OF THEM TRAINED
AS PILOTS, BUT ANOTHER 16,000
MORE THAT SUPPORTED THEM AS
SUPPORT TROOPS FOR THEIR
TRAINING.
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN LASTED
THROUGH 1941 THROUGH 1945 --
1949.
AND AFTER THAT TIME, THEY WERE
TOTALLY INTEGRATED WITH THE REST
OF THE AIR FORCE, SO THERE’S NO
LONGER ANY SEPARATION OR ANY OF
THAT TYPE OF THING AS FAR AS THE
AIR FORCE IS CONCERNED OR THE
MILITARY AS FAR AS THAT’S
CONCERNED.
>> Kim: THESE ARE AMAZING PHOTOS
THAT WE’RE LOOKING AT ON OUR
SCREEN.
MARK, A QUESTION FOR YOU: SO
YOU ARE AN AIR FORCE PILOT, AND
JUST A QUESTION, IF YOU WERE --
ARE THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN A REASON
YOU WANTED TO BECOME A PILOT?
>> I WENT TO DETROIT PUBLIC
SCHOOLS, JOINED THE AIR FORCE
JUNIOR ROTC PROGRAM THERE, AND
THEY WOULD REGULARLY VISIT MY
SCHOOL.
I WAS ABOUT 17 YEARS OLD, I WON
A SCHOLARSHIP TO THE PROGRAM
KNOWN AS THE NEGRO AIRMEN
INTERNATIONAL AT THE TIME WHICH
IS THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN MUSEUM
AND PROVIDE UNDERPRIVILEGED
YOUTH THE OPPORTUNITY TO FLY.
SOME OF THE PICTURES YOU SEE
RIGHT NOW ARE PICTURES OF ME AND
MY KRUSHGS THE AIRCRAFT THAT I
FLY.
AND I’M SITTING HERE WHERE I
TOOK MY FIRST FLIGHT, SO AT THE
MUSEUM.
AND THEY WERE MY DIRECT
INSPIRATION FOR NOT JUST THAT
BUT MILITARY AVIATION.
>> Kim: AND VISITING YOU AT
SCHOOL HAD SUCH AN IMPACT IN
YOUR LIFE.
AND YOU’RE BOTH INVOLVED WITH
THE TUSKEGEE AIR MUSEUM AND
COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE
EVENT.
HARRY, WE’LL START WITH YOU.
>> THE EVENT WILL BE NOT ONLY
TELLING THE STORY AGAIN OF THE
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, BUT TO OPEN A
NEW AREA FOR THEM TO GO AHEAD
AND DISPLAY THEIR ARTIFACTS.
AND THIS WILL BE AT THE CHARLES
H. WRIGHT MUSEUM DOWNTOWN IN
DETROIT.
>> Kim: AWESOME.
MARK, COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT IT?
>> SURE.
THE EVENT IS TO SHOWCASE WHAT
TUSKEGEE AIR MUSEUM PROVIDES,
THE ACE ACADEMY.
AND WE HAVE A MODEL ROCKETRY
PROGRAM.
YOU’VE SEEN SOME OF THE PICTURES
RIGHT NOW.
I’VE GOT MY KIDS INVOLVED.
AND TO BRING OUT THE COMMUNITY
AND TO BRING OUT THE YOUTH TO
SEE WHAT THE MUSEUM ACTUALLY
OFFERS.
>> Kim: WOW, YOUR KIDS ARE
INVOLVED, TOO?
MADE SUCH AN IMPACT ON YOUR
LIFE.
HARRY, HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL
TO SEE PEOPLE LIKE MARK AND HIS
KIDS FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS?
>> WELL, IT’S -- IT FEELS VERY,
VERY GOOD THAT WE LAID DOWN A
LEGACY WHICH HAD PERPETUITY AS
FAR AS THE ADVANCEMENT AND
TRAINING OF YOUTH LIKE WE HAVE
NOW, AND THEY CAN LOOK BACK ON
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN AS EXAMPLES
OF THEM TO EMULATE.
>> Kim: THANK YOU, YOU’RE SUCH
AN INSPIRATION AND WE’RE LUCKY
TO HAVE YOU HERE ON "LIVE IN THE
D."
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
>> Kim: OF COURSE.
AND THE CAREER FAIR EVENT IS
HAPPENING VIRTUALLY OVER ZOOM ON
MONDAY FEBRUARY 22nd FOR DETROIT
PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND CHARTER
SCHOOLS.
AND THEY WILL POST TO THEIR
YOUTUBE CHANNEL SO ANYONE CAN
LEARN ABOUT A CAREER IN AVIATION
AND LEARN MORE ON THE TUSKEGEE
AIRMEN AND OTHER PROGRAMMING.