TAI PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER
We welcome you to our website and encourage you to learn more about our legacy.
SAVE THE DATE
Scholarship Gala
Sunday, May 3, 2020
MISSION
Increase understanding about the Tuskegee Airmen by honoring the accomplishments and perpetuating the history of the men and women who participated in the Tuskegee Experience as air and ground crew operations and support in the Army AIR Corps during World War II.
Introduce young people across the world to aviation and science through local chapter and national Young Eagles and TAI youth programs. Provide support for youth programs including flight experiences, drone experiences, robotics and other stem related programs.
Tuskegee in Philadelphia - Rising to the Challenges unique look at people from the Greater Philadelphia Area that served with honor as part of the Tuskegee Airmen Experience during WWII (World War II). Price: $30
LEADERSHIP
Melvin Payne
- President
Ulysses Vance II
- Vice President
Albert Moreland
- Financial Secretary
Aaron Watkins
- Treasurer
Albert Brown
- Parliamentarian
Bertram A. Levy
- Historian
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN ACHIEVEMENTS
January 12, 1939, President Roosevelt asked Congress to pass Legislation to authorize a permanent Civilian Pilot Training Program.
In 1940, Congress passed the Selective Service and Training Service Act that was signed by President Roosevelt on September 16, 1940. It was the first peace-time draft in U. S. history.
That same year, the War Department announced that the Civil Aeronautics Authority, in cooperation with the U.S. Army, would begin development of colored personnel for aviation service. This paved the way for blacks to train as pilots and vital support personnel.
From 1941 to 1946, men and women were included in the Tuskegee Airmen and were involved in the Tuskegee Military Experiment which is now referred to as the Tuskegee Experience by Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
April 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt flew with Charles A. Chief Anderson, a black pilot and first black pilot instructor at Tuskegee.
March 1942, five of 13 cadets in the first class completed the Army Air Corps pilot training program, earning their silver wings and becoming the nation’s first black military pilots. (Captain Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. – West Point Academy graduate, Second Lieutenants Lemuel R. Curtis, Charles DeBow, Mac Ross, and George Spencer Roberts).
On June 21, 1945, Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr, assumed command of the 477th Bombardment Group.
Although President Truman’s Executive Order 9981 was issued in 1948, the military services were not immediately implemented. In 1949, a year after the President’s executive order, the Air Force was the first service to integrate.
On March 29, 2007, during a ceremony inside the Rotunda of the Capitol, President George W. Bush announced the award by Congress of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen as a group. The ceremony was attended by 300 representatives of the 16,000 to 19,000 men and women who were part of the Tuskegee Experience of World War II. Among those in attendance were Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTAs).
Our goal is to introduce young people across the nation to the world of aviation, technology, aerospace and science through local and national initiatives such as Young Eagles and TAI (Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.) youth programs.
Applicants must be students of accredited high schools who have graduated or will graduate in the school year 2016 – 2017.
Scholarship Application Requirements
The Tuskegee Airmen, Inc (TAI) membership is open to men and women of all races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientation, abilities, and socio-economic status. TAI’s membership includes civilians, veterans, active duty and retired military personnel from all branches of the service.
You can join/renew online today by submitting an application.