Disney.com
When you think of Lucasfilm, many people often think about the stories of heroes. Whether it’s protecting the galaxy or teaming up for daring adventures, these stories have inspired people to live their lives heroically every day. If you’ve ever felt this way, we’re thrilled to announce a new Lucasfilm initiative that’s all about real-life heroes — the Tuskegee Airmen!
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black American military fighter pilots, and they fought bravely in World War II — facing the danger of nearly 1,500 combat missions despite the prejudice and racism their community faced back at home. History has often overlooked the contributions of these exceptional Americans, and this new educational initiative aims to shine a spotlight on the pilots, crews, nurses, and ground personnel that made up this group.
In celebration of the Tuskegee Airmen, Lucasfilm’s educational initiative and social media campaign looks to provide resources to students and educators in a variety of formats.
For anyone who needs a primer on the true story of this incredible group, start with the documentary Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War, now permanently available on Lucasfilm.com! And to bring more resources about these stories to the classroom, teacher and writer Vivett Dukes has put together an educational curriculum guide to complement the documentary.
If you prefer a more cinematic approach to this story, Lucasfilm has also made the film Red Tails free on YouTube for the entire month of November, courtesy of Disney+. With an all-star cast including Cuba Gooding Jr., Terence Howard, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Leslie Odom Jr., and Michael B. Jordan, Red Tails celebrates the story of the Tuskegee Airmen.
All of this content and more can be found at Lucasfilm.com/TuskegeeAirmen!
The stories of Tuskegee pilots, nurses, and ground personnel can be seen on Lucasfilm social using #FlyLikeThem, encouraging everyone to share their own stories inspired by these real-life heroes.
As Red Tails star Leslie Odom Jr. has said, “Young people need to soak up the story of the Airmen and make it a part of them, knowing they can grab the baton and run their leg of the race with full confidence, knowing what has been achieved before them by people not much older than them.” We hope these resources are a great first step towards that knowledge!
Visit Lucasfilm.com/TuskegeeAirmen or Lucasfilm on Facebook and Instagram for more information.