Submitted by Senait Gebregiorgis
(Source: Philadelphia Tribune)
When President Donald Trump enacted a diversity, equity and inclusion ban last week, a piece of history was eliminated from U.S. Air Force training.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the nation’s first Black military pilots who served in World War II.
Under Trump’s DEI ban, lesson plans about the Tuskegee Airmen, including the women Air Force service pilots, would no longer be part of the U.S. Air Force training courses.
However, following public backlash, that decision was reversed.
Montoria “Toby” Hubbard is the president of Central Florida’s General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc.
It’s named after America’s first Black four-star general, who was from Pensacola.
“I was both surprised but extremely disappointed,” said Hubbard about the initial ban. “So many folk are going to be disappointed, and we’re hoping that someone will change our president’s mind,” Hubbard said.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the nation’s first Black military pilots. They served in a segregated unit during World War II and completed over 1,500 missions.
Only a few of these heroes are still alive today, including at least two in Florida.
In a statement, the national nonprofit Tuskegee Airmen Inc. said in part, “We believe the content of these courses does not promote one category of service member or citizen over another. They are simply a part of American military history that all service members should be aware of.”
Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell had called for the Air Force to reverse the decision, posting on X, “The Airmen bravely fought and died for our freedoms before this nation even granted them the full benefits of citizenship. To strip them from the Air Force curriculum is an outrageous betrayal of our values as Americans.”
On Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the ban was “immediately reversed.”
Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill making Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day an official holiday in March.
“It was 100% approved across the board,” Hubbard said. “So the fact that both sides agreed upon it tells me that our legislators support, believe, and think supporting and honoring the Tuskegee Airmen is the right thing to do.”