American Airlines is marking Black History Month by paying tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen with an exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary \u201cThe Luft Gangster: Memoirs of a Second Class Hero\u201d at the company\u2019s C.R. Smith Museum. (Photo – American Airlines Capt. Eugene Richardson, III, and his father, Tuskegee Airman Eugene J. Richardson, Jr.)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Luft Gangster\u201d has not been released to the public, but the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum, in partnership with the Airpower Foundation and several of American\u2019s Employee Business Resource Groups (EBRGs), will host an invitation-only screening on Wednesday, Feb. 3. In attendance will be American Airlines Capt. Eugene Richardson, III, who is the son of Tuskegee Airman Eugene J. Richardson, Jr.; Gwenelle Spann, the widow of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Calvin Spann; and American Airlines President Scott Kirby.<\/p>\n
The film chronicles the life and struggle of retired Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, a Tuskegee Airman and former prisoner of war. During World War II, Lt. Col. Jefferson, now 93, fought for his country and was taken as a POW by the German Army. When he was released and returned home at the end of the war, he encountered racism, bigotry and segregation.
\n\u201cThe unsung and unappreciated heroes like my father have allowed me to enjoy an amazing career in aviation,\u201d said Capt. Eugene Richardson, whose story is featured in the February issue of American Way. \u201cI\u2019m proud to honor him and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen by sharing their story with the next generation of aviation professionals.\u201d
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\nStudents from the Irving High School ROTC will perform a presentation of colors at the Wednesday event. American and the Airpower Foundation will also screen the documentary at Grapevine High School and Colleyville Heritage High School on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Throughout the month of February, American\u2019s in-seat inflight entertainment systems will showcase critically acclaimed African American films and TV programs, including \u201cThe Luft Gangster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, on Saturday, Feb. 20, as part of the Saturday at the Smith program series, the C.R. Smith Museum will hold its sixth annual Celebration of Black Aviation featuring author and historian C.B. Rice. American\u2019s African American Diversity Network EBRG will host local students at the event.<\/p>\n
American is also a proud sponsor of The HistoryMakers, which since 1999 has worked to preserve and make widely accessible the untold personal stories of both well-known and unsung African Americans. The HistoryMakers\u2019 one-of-a-kind archives are now housed in the Library of Congress, providing future generations a first-hand look into the lives of many who have helped shape our nation. In March, American will debut HistoryMakers episodes in its in-seat entertainment offerings, giving customers access to a portfolio of video oral histories of prominent African Americans, starting with \u201cAn Evening with Berry Gordy.\u201d<\/p>\n
American has long been recognized for its diversity efforts, including being named in the 2015 Black EOE Journal\u2019s Best of the Best for Top Diversity Employers, Top Supplier Diversity Programs and Top LGBT Employers. Additionally, the airline\u2019s Diversity Advisory Council was named one of the top 25 councils in the nation for the seventh consecutive year and American recently received the highest possible rating in the Human Rights Campaign\u2019s Corporate Equality Index for the 14th consecutive year.<\/p>\n