Eighty-one years ago this month, Chanute Airforce Base in Rantoul became the birthplace of the Tuskegee Airmen—the first all-black aviator squadron of World War II.
To showcase the remarkable work, skill, and success of these pilots, the University of Illinois Department of Aerospace Engineering and student group Minorities in Aerospace will host a free screening of the 60-minute Lucasfilm documentary "Double Victory: Tuskegee Airmen at War,” followed by a panel discussion. The Department of African American Studies at UIUC is co-sponsoring the event.
The title of the film alludes to victory over fascism in the war and racism at home. The success of the Tuskegee Airmen at flying and fighting with a variety of combat aircraft in WW II paved the way for racial integration of the armed forces.
The film and discussion will be Friday, March 25 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at 1205 W. Clark St. in Urbana.
The event is free, but registration is requested to attend in person or to receive the link to attend online. (https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/755679561)
The panelists include:
- Ronald Bailey, professor and head of the Department of African American Studies at UIUC;
- Reginald DuValle, Air Force veteran, who was first stationed at Chanute Air Force Base, and president of the Indianapolis Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.;
- U.S. Air Force Captain Sidney Ganison, pilot with the 458th Airlift Squadron at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois who recently made history as a member of the first all-African American crew to land a C-21 at Alabama's historic Tuskegee Airfield;
- U.S. Navy Captain Alex Hampton, (BS '99 Gies College of Business) Deputy Airwing Commander, Carrier Air Wing 7 with over 3,100 F/A-18 flight hours and more than 850 carrier landings.
This event will follow all campus Covid-19 guidelines in place at the time of the event.
