Freedom Flyers of Tuskegee

Gr 9 Up—The saga of the almost 1000 African-American men who broke the color barrier and became fighter pilots during World War II is one which needs to be told and retold. This well-developed diary of that struggle begins in a remote airfield in Jim Crow-era Alabama and concludes with these men being honored for their heroism in 2007 on the cusp of the election of our country's first black President. Contemporary interviews with surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen are punctuated with a rich collection of vintage film footage and black-and-white stills to illustrate their conflicts, both in the air and on the ground with a military and a society in general not totally prepared to accept them because of their race. The producers of this well-paced film have included bonus segments featuring a gallery of both modern and period photos, an extension of the interviews with the pilots, as well as a brief online guide. Option chapter selection enhances the usability of this program in classrooms and research settings. The seventieth anniversary of this significant step in the march toward equality is well-served with this film.—Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL