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[[Part of healing cut off]]
racial bias, World War II

WASHINGRON (UPI)— It will become a better-known fact, now, that the first black American to win a pilot's license — Bessie Coleman—was a woman and that she had to go to France to get it. 

And that Benjamin O. Davis Jr., a 1936 graduate of West Point, became the first black general in the Air Force in 1954.

Along with a lot more lore, presented in text and pictures, in "Black Wings — The American Black In Aviation," a new exhibit that opened Sept. 23 for a two-year run at the National Air and Space Museum — one of the top tourist draws in the nation's capital.

"Headwinds" is the term, appropriately applied to the first section of the exhibit, which opens with the words:

The historic flight of the Wright Brothers in 1903 captured the imagination of the American public. Participation by black Americans in this new field, however, did not come easily.

"There was a widely held notion in the aviation community that blacks lacked the aptitude to fly, and blacks found themselves arbitrarily excluded from flight instructions."

The text then goes on to relate how Bessie Coleman couldn't get licensed to fly in her own country, and after that trip to France, became one of those barnstorming stunt pilots of the early days of American aviation.

She was killed in a crash in 1926, at age 33, but "inspired many young blacks to enter the field of aviation."

The second section of the exhibit, along a wall in the "Pioneers" section of the museum's upper floor, tells the story of black military pilots in World War II — who were segregated into their own flying school at Tuskegee, Ala., and into their own squadron of P-51 fighters in the European theater.

The final segment, "An Era of Change," brings the struggle of blacks up to date. They're long-delayed acceptance into commercial aviation — and into the space program.

Davis, who retired from the military in 1971, provided the narration for a videotape of the Army Air Corps Training School at Tuskegee, part of the exhibit's section on World War II.

Davis commanded the all-black 332nd Fighter Group that flew more than 1,580 missions covering bombers over some of Nazi Germany's toughest targets.

He was on hand for a preview of the exhibit, along with Clarence "Lucky" Lester, who posed under a model of his red-tailed P-51, "Miss Pelt;" Thomas C. Allen, who with James H. Banning made the first transcontinental flight by blacks in 1932; and Charles F. Bolden, a Marine pilot and one of four black astronauts in the space shuttle training program.

One of the early black civilian pilots was Charles Alfred "Chief" Anderson, who trained ma y of those cadets at Tuskegee.

In an interview a couple of years ago, Anderson said that "white people didn't think any of the minority groups, Chinese, Japanese, anybody other than whites, could fly planes" in those days.

PHILADELPHIA RECORD, SUNDAY, MAY
Discuss Women in Industry
AFRO - 5-15-43
[[image]]
First Lt. Delta H. Raney, attached to the Army Nurse Corps at Tuskegee, was speaker at a meeting in honor of Philadelphia Women's Industries at Tindley Temple, Philadelphia, Sunday afternoon. Standing beside Lieutenant Raney are Wayne L. Hopkins, executive secretary of the Armstrong Association, who presided, and Mrs. Crystal Bird Fauset of the OCD, in Washington.

Philadelphia 15,
Honor Women In Race Urged to R
A recommendation that the masses of Negro people should read and seriously consider Wendell Willkie's frank, fact-revealing book, "One World." was made by Mrs. Crystal Bird Fauset, principal speaker at the meeting to honor Negro women in Philadelphia industries, Sunday, at the Tindley Temple Methodist Church. Mrs. Fauset, former member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature [[?]] the Pennsylvania State [[?]]porary Commission to Urban Conditions of Colored People.

Wayne L. Hopkins, executive secretary of the strong Association, presi[[ded over]] the meeting which was sponsored by the Association with the cooperation of local women's clubs and sororities.
Lieutenant Evelyn G[[covered]] WAAC recruiting officer

Four
Progress of Negro in Army Told by First Chief Nurse
Lt. Raney Says They Get Out of Armed Service Just What They Put In As Individuals.
By ORRIN. C. EVANS.
First Lieutenant Della Raney knows progress when [s]he sees it. 

"And I've seen plenty of it in Uncle Sam's armed forces," she said yesterday, "so far as the Negro is concerned.

Lieutenant Raney, who admits she's just "slightly this side of 30," should know. She is Chief Nurse at the U.S. Army Hospital at the Tuskegee (Ala.) Air Base, the first Negro woman to have that distinction in the Nurses' Corps.

In service Two Years.
Since she entered the service two years ago she has watched the treatment and advancement of Negros toughening up for foreign battlefields.

"I want to go on record with the statement that everything isn't all that it should be, but things are much better than certain agitators would have you believe."

She said during World War I only 18 Negro nurses were inducted into service—and that was after the Armistice.

"Today there are 20 Negro nurses stationed with me at Tuskegee, and three recently were sent overseas." she said. "There are other Negro nurses [[?]] at various [[?]] country [[?]] rank of [[?]]
the country "the Negro gets out of Army Life, what" [cut off]]
[[image]]
LT. DELLA RANEY
First Negro woman commissioned in the Army Air Corps.

(A) Lincoln University of Missouri, located at Jefferson City. Its first president was Richard B. Foster, and Army officer. 
(A) Erskine Hawkins.
(A) Soupy Campbell, Mel Glover, Gil Frazier, One Knighton and Kavanza Hyde.

100TH BIRTHDAY OBSERVED BY CAROLINA WOMAN
GOLDSBORO, N.C.-- (ANP)
[[CUT OFF]]
was operation supervisor at Lincoln Hospital, Durham, N.C. She left Durham in April 1941 to report for duty as the first Negro nurse in World War II. She was also the first Negro to be promoted to First Lieutenant.

Captain Raney, whose home is Suffolk, Va., was formerly a student at Virginia State College and received her purse training at Lincoln Hospital, Durham. After graduation she served successfully on the staff of the Community Hospital, Norfolk, Va., and the K. B. Reynolds Hospital, Winston-Salem, N.C. The newly promoted nurse-captain is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Raney of Pine street, Suffolk. (Official U. S. Army Photo by AAF Training Command).

still many other tasks performed here daily under capable men.

There is the military police force, the chemical warfare department, and the quartermaster detachment which feeds, shelters and moves the post personnel. In charge of the motor pool is Warrant Officer Henry Moor, late of Fort Benning.

Lt. Nathaniel Freeman, formerly of the 184th Field Artillery, is in charge of recruits, who get their basic training for a period of months before being assigned to some functional unit.

Post Has New Chaplain

Transcription Notes:
parts of the second and third articles are covered up. noted as [[?]] ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-05-26 16:46:13