MLK Day at the History Museum: Air free of prejudice

"The air is the only place free of prejudices," said Bessie Coleman, also known as Queen Bess.

She was a barnstormer, aviatrix and the first female African-American pilot. In the 1920s, in order to learn how to fly she had to go where all greatness seemed to go at the time--France. Bessie graduated within a mere two years and was the only woman in her class. This pioneer was one of the many Black aviation heroes on display at the Smithsonian's Black Wings Exhibit, hosted by the Tacoma History Museum.

The thought behind the emergence of the Black pilot just a mere decade after the first planes were being sold to civilians was best described by William J. Powell, a Black aviator who had the foresight to see the aviation industry being in its first stages, as an opportune time to integrate black pilots early on so they could grow with it, and that they did.

With the help of trainers in France, the number of Black aviators grew alongside the industry. Flying clubs sprung up all around the states, most notably the Chicago flying club, The Challengers.

With this grew rising scepticism from the society which deemed them unfit for flight.

"Negroes, despite handicaps, make rapid progress in various fields of aviation," read an old headline preserved by the Smithsonian.

In an effort to showcase the skill of Black pilots, barnstorming events became more and more illuminated in the news as pilots like Bessie Coleman, William J. Powell's black birds, and aviatrixes who exhibited such feats as doing the charleston on the wings of planes mid-flight.

With the obvious talent not being utilized becoming ever more clear, the Tuskegee airmen were born amidst the mist of skepticism shrouding America. Heavily aided by Eleanor Roosevelt who visited them and had one of the airmen fly her to prove how even the first lady was safe to fly with the Tuskegee.

There were several sectors of the Tuskegee, now more prominent with the "Red Tails" movie coming out. The Red Tails were the 332nd Squadron and  were primarily occupied with bomb escort missions. Much to the surprise of the society they defended, their glory in battle forever immortalizing them in history. Their plane of choice was the P-51D Mustang, which was displayed at the museum in one-eighteenth the size of its glory.

With leaders like George S. "Spanky" Roberts, known for his agressive leadership of the 99th Fighter Squadron during the  1944 Anzio campaign over Italy, within a two week period, the squadron downed eight enemy aircraft on their first day and another eight within the next three days. Throughout the two week campaign, they accomplished a seven to one kill ratio, unheard of in air combat history.

After the war, Blacks were allowed to serve in the Air Force with the passing of the 1948 desegregation order but not as civilian pilots. This later had to be fought for in the courts of law. With the eventual equality in the skies, came a plethora of Black pioneers of aviation. Brave men and woman like Jeanine McIntosh-Menze, the first Black female aviator in the Coast Guard, Donnie Cochran, the first Black aviator assigned to the Blue Angels who eventually assumed command in 1994, and Dr. Harrison, the first Black astronaut in space.

In the spirit of Martin Luther King Day, Harrison came to speak on his experience as an astronaut and his journey to get there. Saying Harrison has humble beginnings would be an understatement. With a single mother on the Navajo Native American reservation was where Harrison grew up, but certainly not where his aspirations would take him. Armed with a mother who told him he could be anything he wanted to be, and a healthy love of "Star Trek," Harrison knew he wanted to be an astronaut. Surprisingly Harrison became a doctor first, but undertones of his passion for aviation were never far off. This could be seen in his choice of doctoral endeavors, as he served as an in-flight doctor and researched the effects of space travel on the body.

When he was accepted into the NASA program, he was signed on not only as an astronaut but a doctor who could provide valuable insights through testing the human body in space. During his time as an astronaut, Harrison put 7.2 million space miles under his belt as well as a five-hour space walk.

"Dreams are the reality of the future," he said.

He went on to start the Harrison Foundation where he gives opportunities to underprivileged youth. He also wrote a book on his inspirational life entitled, "Dream Walker."

"How you start in life does not determine your ultimate success. It's what you do with adversity that counts," Harrison said.