Tom Joyner, the top rated nationally syndicated morning radio show presented Martin Luther King Jr. Day Convocation at his alma mater, Tuskegee University, Monday, January 16. Immediately after doing The Tom Joyner Morning Show from 6 AM to 10 AM ET, Joyner flew to Tuskegee Alabama, made a speech that saluted Dr. King and the Tuskegee airmen, and then joined several leaders hosting a special screening and panel discussion of “Red Tails,” George Lucas’ new movie based on the legendary accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Joyner’s dad, Hercules, was part of the Tuskegee Airmen program, and his mother worked in the airmen’s office.
In making his speech, Joyner noted,” I think it’s so fitting that we pay tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen on Dr. King’s birthday. Before Dr. King dared to share his dream of a day when black people and white people were considered equal in this country, a group of black men and women had the audacity to dream…and believe that they could fly.
They didn’t stop with the dream though. They put the work in and saw it through. From their tenacity, a rural air strip and a flight training program grew into historic Moton Field and an elite all black squadron known as The Tuskegee Airmen. The history, mystique, and contributions of the Tuskegee Airman has been documented in many forms, museums, books, cable TV movies, and now through the new feature film “Red Tails. “
The full speech is posted on BlackAmericaweb.com:
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=blog_inner/36228/1573138/The%20Fly%20Jock
“Red Tails” is an action drama based on the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American World War II U.S. service members who faced segregation during the war. They were called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard. As the war in Europe continued to take its toll on Allied forces, the Pentagon brass moved forward with the development of untried and untested African-American pilots in the experimental Tuskegee training program. Against all the odds, the intrepid young airmen took to the skies to fight for their country. The movie stars Academy Award winner, Cuba Gooding Jr, Terrence Howard, NeYo and others. The official release date for the movie is Friday, January 20, 2012.
On Tuesday, Joyner will provide full details of another special event he will host in Atlanta on Friday, January 20 that further salutes the Tuskegee Airmen and celebrates the movie, “Red Tails”.
