Black Air Foundation

2011 NAACP-George S. Lima Award

2011-10-21T13:31:00.004-04:00

PRESS RELEASE

On Friday, October 28, 2011, NAACP-Providence Branch will be celebrating its 98th Anniversary. The Freedom Fund Dinner will take place at the Marriott Hotel, One Orms Street, Providence, Rhode Island at 5:30 pm.

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Luis Da Silva Lopes, Producer and Host of Nobidade Television; member of the Cape Verdean community and long-standing activist will be receiving the George S. Lima Award from the NAACP.

Other award recipients include, Cheryl Burrell, Cliff Montiero, Jorge Cardenas, Linda Newton, Gertrude Jones, Ida B. Wells, and Julius Kolawole.

There is a relatively small segment, of leaders, in the Cape Verdean community; individuals who seem able to build relationships, trust, and rapport with almost anyone, and then are able to broker the relationships and make connections between people, creating partnerships and alliances; Luis Da Silva Lopes is one of those people. Staying engaged, advocating, and representing his community is what he is all about. With an enthusiastic and genuinely friendly attitude, Luis radiates a sincere passion for keeping the members of his community educated and connected.

It is the first time that a member of our Cape Verdean community, born in Cape Verde, is receiving the prestigious George S. Lima Award. Mr. George S. Lima was a son of Cape Verde as well.

We ask everyone, in particular Cape Verdean community, to join us on October 28th in celebrating this historic event; honoring Luis D. Lopes’ longstanding community service

Tickets and sponsorships are still available. Proceeds of the event benefit the NAACP-Providence branch. For more information, please call Melissa at 401.316.9646

naacpprov.org

June 24, 2011 - Quonsett Air Show

2011-07-02T11:56:00.003-04:00

https://picasaweb.google.com/blackairfoundation/June242011QuonsettAirShow

Four Types of "Broken" Boards

2011-06-28T12:17:00.001-04:00

Four Types of "Broken" Boards

By Carter McNamara on May 27, 2010

Over the years, I’ve noticed four common types of “broken” Boards. One of the ways you can recognize them is by the comments that members make. Here’s the types of Boards and what you might hear members saying.

1. Detached Board

“Why are you calling me to come to a meeting? What Board are you talking about?”
“We need a strategic plan. Let’s have the CEO just write one for us.”
“I’ve not heard from CEO, so everything must be fine.”

2. Servant Board

“I’m here to help the CEO in any way I can.”
“All the CEO has to do is ask.”
“How can I help?”

3. Personalities Board

“Recruit Jim for the Board! He’s a nice guy.”
“Get whoever will come to meetings!”
“Keep him on the Board! He’s a ‘big name’.”

4. Micro-managing Board

“Give us your todo list every week!”
“Give us your manager’s todo list every week!”
“We want to know when you’re in the office and when you’re not!”

In Contrast, the Strategic Board

In contrast, in an active strategic Board, members’ comments would be like the following:

“Are our products and services high-quality? How do we know?”
“What’s our role? What’s the CEO’s role?”
“What’s the status of implementing our Strategic Plan?”
“Are we attending to the most important matters? How do we know?”
“We’ve got some Board members who don’t come. What are we going to do about it?”

http://managementhelp.org/blogs/boards-of-directors/2010/05/27/four-types-of-broken-boards/

Celebrating the life of George S. Lima

2011-04-04T12:43:00.004-04:00

View photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/blackairfoundation/CelebratingTheLifeOfGeorgeSLima?feat=directlink

George S. Lima April 4,1919 – March 15, 2011

2011-03-19T13:23:00.002-04:00

George S. Lima
April 4,1919 – March 15, 2011

George S. Lima's story spans 91 years and goes from Fall River, Mass, to Harlem, to the Deep South and back. It is the story of a son of Cape Verdean immigrants, a Harlem brown, student at North Carolina A&T, Tuskegee airman, military photographic officer, founder of the local chapter of Omega Psi Phi, civil rights activist, union organizer, state representative, and statesman who fought for people's rights in his community.
A graduate from Brown University George S. Lima was a fighter for equality of opportunities and recognition. He served as the president the NAACP Providence Branch, the Cape Verdean Progressive Club, the Cape Verdean sub-Committee of the Rhode Island Preservation and Heritage Commission, the American Cape Verdean Cultural Exchange Commission of Rhode Island. He was a strong supporter of all community initiatives.

He was comrade to heroes, a friend to generals; a protector of the forgotten, a voice of the voiceless and a staunch advocate for the rights of all men and women. He fought Joe Louis, danced to Ellington, socialized with Satchmo.

He was an aviator when it was thought that black men couldn't fly. He walked the halls of Ivy League schools in search of an education, which seemed out of reach to many of his race. He faced poverty, prejudice, adversity and ignorance, and through it all, maintained a love of life, an undying perseverance, and a quiet noble dignity. He has seen things that will never be seen again. A man, an icon, a living history for future generations who reminds us that “Black Men Can Fly”.

Lima is founder of The Black Air Foundation, a non-profit organization that introduces inner-city youth to Aviation, Filmmaking, Radio and Television production.

George Lima, 91, of East Providence, RI, died on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. Husband of the late Selma Lima of Ahoski, N.C., father of George Lima, Jr., Atlanta , GA, Anna Maria Bowling, Daytona, FL, and Robert M. Lima, Brockton, MA, 10 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, sisters-in-law Ann Lambert and Ester Lima of E. Providence, RI.

Former Rep. George S. Lima, fighter for civil rights, dies at age 91RI

2011-03-15T19:31:00.002-04:00

Former RI Rep. George S. Lima, fighter for civil rights,and founder/president of the Black Air Foundation, dies Tuesday, March 15, 2011, at age 91

NAACP, Providence-Branch annual dinner-October 29, 2010

2010-10-29T23:51:00.000-04:00

(sitting) George S. Lima, Ruth J. Simmons, Pres. of Brown University
(standing) Jim Vincent

Photos by: Omar Bradley

Providence NAACP dinner. The George S. Lima award recepient Dr. Rocha. October 29, 2010

2010-10-29T23:23:00.001-04:00

Photos by: Omar Bradley

(l-r) Clifford Montiero, George S. Lima, Dr. Anthony Rocha

Black Air Foundation - Golf Tournament 2010

2010-10-26T07:24:00.001-04:00

Black Air Foundation- 1st Golf Tournament Awards presentation & Dinner

2010-10-25T20:51:00.004-04:00

Honoring those who've made great contributions made to the game of golf in Rhode Island.
Honorees:

Black Air Foundation- 1st Golf Tournament Foursomes

2010-10-11T07:13:00.001-04:00

Golf Tournament- Program booklet

2010-10-09T22:46:00.000-04:00

Saturday, October 9, 2010 - 1st Annual GOLF TOURNAMENT

2010-09-26T21:17:00.004-04:00

Black Air Foundation
1st Annual GOLF TOURNAMENT
at Triggs Memorial Golf Course- Providence, RI

********Celebrity Golfers************
TAVARES Brothers
Roland James (former NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS)

12 Noon - Registration - Putting Contest
1:15 pm - Shotgun / Start (Scramble Format)
Closest to pin. Longest drive and Accuracy
5:30 pm - Dinner

Chairperson: George S. Lima
Registration Questions: 401.383.7308
Tournament Questions: 401.241.1984 (Jerry Morgan)

Website: www.blackairfoundation.org

Black Air Foundation members attend Emancipation Day 2010 at Roger Williams Park

2010-08-20T07:45:00.000-04:00

Rhode Islanders celebrated Emancipation Day, marking the end of slavery in much of the British Empire, at Roger Williams Park in Providence, on August 1, 2010. (photo: nobidadetv.com)

The following is from ProvidenceAmerican.com, August 19, 2010.

Another Day in the Park

Emancipation Day Celebration

"Together We Make A Difference" was the motto of this year's Emancipation Day Celebration at Roger Williams Park in Providence [Rhode Island].

Here in Providence, the emancipation of British West India that took place on the first day of August in 1834 is the basis for the annual celebration. Sponsors of this year's celebration join the community in the acknowledgement of the significance of the day.

Historically Emancipation Day has been celebrated as far back as the 1840s. This day has been of very special notation to all people in bondage, because it was the first worldwide admission by Britain, world major power, that the rights of all humans cannot be ignored or denied. It was a day celebrated by those who championed the cause of freedom, and motivation to continue the struggle.

While local organizers were not aware of the first celebration in Providence, the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society's research has records of celebration as far back as 1849.

This year's sponsors included the Emancipation Day Committee, Music One, JWU/Inter-Cultural Center, RI Historical and Heritage Commission, Sackett Street Recreation and WBRU 360, with special thanks to co-chairs of Emancipation Day Committee James (Buster) Clements and Terrell A. Osborne.

Each year the celebration highlights entertainment, food vendors, raffles and closing remarks by a member of the clergy. This years entertainment featured DJ Spin, Hot Spot Youth Ministry, Chops Turner, just to name a few.

The Negro (Black) National Anthem was sung by Sharon Mazyck to kick off the day. Food vendors sold fried fish, soul food from Food for the Soul restaurant, Dells Lemonade, and much more.

The Rhode Island National Guard had a presence in the form of a portable climbing wall for those mountain climbers in attendance.

Each year Emancipation Day is celebrated in African American communities around the United States and draws thousands to mark the notion of freedom especially for slaves in America at the time.

See you next year for Another Day In the Park at Emancipation Celebration Day 2011.

The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ended slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834. British West Indian and other countries widely observe Emancipation Day during the first week of August, as noted below:

August 1: Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobogo

First Monday in August: Anguilla, Bahama, British Virgin Islands

August 7: Turks and Caicos Island

SOURCE: EmancipationDayRI.com

Funday! video slideshow

2010-07-26T14:22:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, May 22, 2010 the 4th Annual Fun - Day event sponsored by "Women in Aviation" was held at the New Bedford Reginal Airport. The event was fully supported by the Black Air Foundation lead by Dr. Goerge S. Lima of Providence, RI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdsy84AWNVA

Funday! New Bedford Regional Airport

2010-05-26T13:45:00.002-04:00

BLACK AIR FOUNDATION PARTICIPATES in the 4th Annual General Aviation Fun Day

Saturday, May 22, 2010

2010's 4th Annual General Aviation Fun Day was our most successful event to date!! The event was held from 10 AM - 4 PM at the New Bedford Regional Airport (KEWB). As always, there was something for everyone with static aircraft displays, flight demonstrations, food, and more.

The Buttonwood Zoo Choo was in attendance to give the kids a ride! A Helicopter Golf Ball Drop was held with prizes of up to $500. Tuskegee Airman, Mr. George S. Lima also attended the event. Airplane and helicopter rides were provided to the public for a small fee. The New Bedford Police K-9 unit was here doing demonstrations, as well as the New Bedford Fire Department’s Crash Truck. Flight Simulators were available for public use throughout the day. This event was co-hosted by the Atlantic Aviators Chapter of Women in Aviation, International, the New Bedford Regional Pilot’s Association, and the New Bedford Regional Airport. As always, admission was FREE but donations were welcome. Proceeds for this event helped benefit the Atlantic Aviators Scholarship Fund for area students interested in perusing aviation-related careers.
In case you missed the event, check out our slideshow below.

http://www.atlanticaviators.org/funday/

RI Aviation Hall of Fame inducts 7 with R.I. ties, lauds Tuskegee

2009-11-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

Aviation Hall of Fame inducts 7 with R.I. ties, lauds Tuskegee Airmen
01:00 AM EST on Sunday, November 22, 2009

Halton

William P. Armstrong, a member of the famous African-American aviator’s unit called the Tuskegee Airmen, died while piloting his plane in Austria during World War II.

Navy Lt. Cdr. Paul Gurnon played such a vital role in establishing military installations on Antarctica in the 1950s that a peninsula there was named after him.

And Antoine Gazda, an enemy fighter ace for Austria in World War I, switched his loyalty to the United States in World War II when he came to Providence to share his secret blueprints for antiaircraft guns.

They are among a handful who were recognized Saturday night at the seventh-annual induction ceremonies for the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame, held at the Varnum Armory in East Greenwich.

This year, seven with Rhode Island connections were inducted. In addition, the organization recognized 15 Rhode Islanders who participated in the Tuskegee Experiment, the Army Air Corps program that trained African-Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft from 1941 to 1949.

Four of this year’s inductees are living, including guest speakers Jim Keck, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and former vice commander of the Strategic Air Command, and his son, Tom Keck, also a retired Air Force lieutenant general who commanded the 8th Air Force. They are the only father-and-son team to have each flown at Mach 3, three times the speed of sound, both in an SR-71 Blackbird.

The other living inductees are Gurnon, who received special recognition from the U.S. Geologic survey for his service in Antarctica in Operation Deep Freeze, and George Chakoian, who flew 46 combat missions in the Pacific as a radio operator and gunner and who served as a project engineer specializing in airborne delivery of equipment to war zones.

Three are being inducted posthumously, including Gazda, whose weaponry work was so sensitive that while living at the Biltmore Hotel, he was under guard 24 hours a day and had the door to the suite next door bricked up. The other is Providence-born Army pilot William Halton, who shot down 10 aircraft in World War II and died in action in Korea in 1952.

The ceremony also recognized 15 Rhode Islanders who were part of the Tuskegee air corps, as well as two from Massachusetts with ties to Rhode Island. The Hall Fame continues to work on developing a complete list.

“Despite all the publicity given to the Tuskegee Airmen, no one has yet developed a definitive list of Rhode Islanders who are eligible for that designation,” said Frank Lennon, founder of the hall of fame. “This is the first step in that direction, although we will be the first to admit this is a work in progress.”

In addition to Armstrong, Rhode Islanders include Charles M “Moe” Adams, of Providence, an aviation cadet; Alfred Steward Barclay, of Newport, an aviation cadet killed in a 1945 training crash; Victor Butler, of North Providence, a mechanic; Pedro Carvalho, of Providence, a B-25 gunner; Peter Coelho, of East Providence, an administrative clerk; Ralph H. Davis, of East Providence, a mechanic and instructor; and Walter S. Gladding, of Providence, a flight officer murdered in Virginia while on leave.

Others were Kenneth Gross, of Providence, an armorer and gunner; William E. Hill, of Narragansett, a pilot killed on a 1943 training flight; Andrew L. Jackson, of Providence, a gunner; George S. Lima, of Fall River and Providence, a photographic officer; Benjamin D. Metts, of Providence, a radioman; Oscar Suggs, of Newport, a professional boxer who served at an Army Air Force base at Lockbourne; and Herman Wells, of Providence, a communications specialist.

The two from Massachusetts are Jack D. Bryant, of Boston, an aviation cadet who heads Bryant Associates, a Lincoln engineering firm, and James W. McLaurin, of Weymouth, a flight engineer whose daughter is an associate dean at Brown University.

Saturday, Nov 21, 2009

http://www.projo.com/news/content/TUSKEGEE_AIRMEN_11-22-09_73GH0FD_v18.34616d3.html

William Spaulding Jazz Quintet -Sunday Sept 27

2009-08-28T13:48:00.005-04:00

JAZZ in the Afternoon
featuring the William Spaulding Jazz Quintet
is Back by popular demand...
in the CV Club patio..

JAZZ in the Afternoon

the William Spaulding Jazz Quintet (Trumpet, Bass, Piano, Tenor Sax, Drums)

Host:	Black Air Foundation
Type:	Causes - Fundraiser

Price:	$15 Singles - $25 Couples

Date:	Sunday, September 27, 2009
Time:	2:00pm - 6:00pm
Location:	Cape Verdean Progressive Club
Street:	329 Grosvenor Avenue
City/Town:	East Providence, RI
	View Google Map Google

Phone:	4014518626
Email:	blackairfoundation@cox.net

Event description

Sunday, September 27

Help support the Black Air Foundation's Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron.
The Black Air Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to empowering minority youth through education and training. The mission of Black Air Foundation is to introduce inner-city youth ages 13-15 to Aviation, Filmmaking, Radio and Television production.

Click here to RSVP your invitation.
Evite
http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=JVBBNKBYKISDHAEDZXLM

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=147500928017&ref=mf

PHOTO EXHIBIT OF WORLD WAR II TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SPONSORED BY BLACK AIR FOUNDATION

2009-04-22T17:45:00.007-04:00

PHOTO EXHIBIT OF WORLD WAR II TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SPONSORED BY BLACK AIR FOUNDATION

"Black Aviation Historical Expo"

At THE SPOT ON THAYER

To benefit the Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron Cadet program's mission to introduce inner-city youth to Aviation, Filmmaking, Radio and Television production.

The exhibit will take place on Friday, 1 May from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. in the main gallery of the Spot on Thayer, 286 Thayer Street, Second Floor, Providence, RI (near Brown University). Opening remarks will be made by Tuskegee Airman George S. Lima, President and Founder of the Black Air Foundation. This exhibit features photographs by pilot and photographic officer, Lt. George S. Lima, U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII

During World War II civil rights groups and black professional organizations pressed the government to provide training for black pilots on an equal basis with whites. Their efforts were partially successful. African American fighter pilots were trained as a part of the Army Air Force, but only at a segregated base located in Tuskegee, Alabama. Hundreds of airmen were trained and many saw action.

The exhibition is produced by Black Air Foundation, in cooperation with The Spot on Thayer.

For more information on the exhibition, call Marlene Britto at (401) 451-8626 or visit the web site at www.blackairfoundation.org. For inquiries, send an e-mail to blackairfoundation@cox.net or call (401) 383-7308.

Your $10 donation helps support the cadet program. Public is Invited!

Ceremony at Quonset honors 7 Tuskegee Airmen

2009-03-10T01:24:00.000-04:00

Ceremony at Quonset honors 7 Tuskegee Airmen
01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, March 10, 2009
By Richard C. Dujardin

Journal Staff Writer

Tuskegee Airman Herman Wells, a Rhode Island native, shakes hands with Rhode Island Air National Guard Col. Peter Sepe, of Warwick, after signing a book for him at Thursday’s event.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

NORTH KINGSTOWN — Even now, they proudly identify themselves as Tuskegee Airmen, part of a historic cadre of black aviators, pilots and support crew who helped prove to a skeptical nation during World War II that “black men can fly” and carry the fight to the enemy with impressive results.

As former B-25 bomber pilot Charles W. Diggs put it Thursday, when he and six others black veterans came as invited guests at a reception in their honor on the grounds of the Rhode Island Air National Guard at Quonset Point: “It feels good to have been a pioneer.”

But if the truth be told, being known as a pioneer was the last thing on their minds, they acknowledged. All they really wanted to do was fly.

“I think that’s the attitude of a lot of these men,” said Willie Shellman, a former autopilot design engineer who is now the president of the Tuskegee Airmen’s New England chapter and executive director of Black Archives at the YMCA of Greater Boston. “They didn’t know they were making history. They were training to be the best person they could be, to get the best education they could and to be the best person and soldier they could be. And as a result of that, they made history.”

Of the more than 900 black military men who were trained at Tuskegee, Ala., as part of a “noble experiment” that began in January 1941, there were 7 New Englanders who were honored at the event sponsored by the Rhode Island Air Force Association and the Black Air Foundation.

They included three native Rhode Islanders — former state representative and union leader George Lima of East Providence, Victor Butler of North Providence, and Herman Wells, who after his discharge as a communications specialist at Godman Field in Kentucky studied at the University of Rhode Island and became chief of the civil rights staff for the former Civil Aeronautics Administration.

Of the other four New Englanders, two received certification as B-25 bomber pilots only to be discharged without going into combat because Japan surrendered before they could be deployed: Diggs, who went on to a 31-year career as a mechanical engineer in the Jet Engine Design Group for General Electric in Lynn, Mass., and Jack Bryant, a Chicago native who is CEO of Bryant Engineering of Boston.

Rounding out the group were Harvey F. Sanford, who was an air inspector at the Tuskegee Army Air Field until his discharge in 1946, and became an FAA inspector at Boston’s Logan Airport; and Willie Saunders, who was part of the 615th Ground Support Unit at Army Air fields in Texas and Florida and who is now a retired deputy superintendent of the Boston police.

Despite their historic breakthrough as members the nation’s first black aviation unit — which at the time was known only to readers of black newspapers and magazines, but became more known by the impressive number of German planes they shot down — the airmen were not able to entirely escape the racism of the times.

Lima noted how on a visit to an Officers Club in Indiana for which he had paid dues, he was denied access because of his color. After he returned to the barracks and informed his fellow black officers what had happened, 100 descended on the club and were arrested for refusing to leave. (Those arrests remained on their records until President Bill Clinton met with the airmen and had the charges expunged in the 1990s.)

Asked by one young man how he felt then to be “mixed together with Caucasians” after years of segregation, Lima remarked he couldn’t speak to that because the Air Force didn’t become integrated until six years after he was discharged.

Saunders said some of the most painful moments for him were when he joined the Boston Police Department in 1956.

“I said, ‘Here we go again.’ [The black officers] weren’t allowed to drive in cruisers and we walked the street all night long. What helped me was my family and my memory of what went on when I was in the service. It hurt. My family didn’t know why I wanted to be a policeman, and I didn’t know either.”

When the first wave of black airman arrived in Africa, said Sanford, the blacks were assigned planes rejected by white pilots, but eventually were given planes with Rolls-Royce engines that proved more useful in combat.

Then, too, he said, stories abounded at how German prisoners of war seemed to get better treatment by the Americans than the black airmen got at their bases.

But one thing they all could take comfort in, Sanford said. “As the colonel used to say, when you have your hands on the controls, the plane doesn’t know what color you are.”

rdujardi@projo.com

President Barack Obama inauguration day

2009-01-21T04:07:00.005-05:00

A Tuskegee airman watches, remembers 01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, January 21, 2009
By Alisha A. Pina
Journal Staff Writer

George Lima, 89, applauds after watching Barack Obama sworn in. Lima took part in the March on Washington, in 1963.

EAST PROVIDENCE — He “never believed this day would come true.”

George S. Lima served in World War II as one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of black fighter pilots and bomber pilots in the history of what then was the Army Air Forces. Their performance — after segregated training in Alabama — dispelled reservations in Washington about the ability of black men to fly in combat.

All the surviving members of the group were invited to attend President Obama’s inauguration, but poor health forced Lima — Rhode Island’s only Tuskegee airman — to stay home.

“I didn’t want to take that chance ... I can hardly walk across my living room,” said Lima, who turns 90 in April. When television cameras zoomed in on some of the airmen who did attend, he said, “There are my guys.”

Leaning closer toward the television, he said, “Let me see if I can recognize anybody ... If I was 30 years younger, I’d be there.”

Family and friends came by to watch the inauguration with him yesterday. Diana Lima took the bus over to be with her father-in-law and another relative brought coffee and doughnuts. George Lima said it was such a special occasion that he ought to get the fireplace going.

Diana’s husband, Robert, arrived right before the inauguration ceremony started. He raised a fist and exclaimed, “Power to the people. Our time has come.”

He showed off his T-shirt. It bore the faces of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Obama.

George Lima went to the March on Washington, in 1963, where an estimated 250,000 people came together to promote civil rights in a peaceful demonstration.

Yesterday, he listened as Mr. Obama said, “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

Fighting back tears, Lima’s daughter-in-law grabbed his hand and said, “I’m glad you got to see this.”

apina@projo.com

Photo: Gretchen Ertl

Black Air Foundation board members at the President Barack Obama's inauguration day viewing party. A fantastic experience!!!
L-R: Robert Lima, Napoleon X, George S. Lima, Marlene Britto

Black Air Foundation promotional video

2008-12-03T13:40:00.003-05:00

The mission of the Black Air Foundation is to introduce inner-city youth ages 13-15 to aviation, filmmaking, and radio and television production.

Visit our webste: www.blackairfoundation.org

Black Air Foundation- Ex-rep helps youths reach for the sky

2008-11-26T17:23:00.005-05:00

Black Air Foundaion- Ex-rep helps youths reach for the sky

Tuesday, 25 November 2008

BY VINAYA SAKSENA

PROVIDENCE — A local non-profit organization started by a former state representative from East Providence has graduated a dozen more young cadets from a program intended to encourage minority youth to aim high — literally and figuratively.

On Saturday, November 8, the Black Air Foundation held a graduation ceremony in Providence for twelve youths who recently completed the Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron’s cadet program. An after-school program co-founded by former State Representative and World War II-era military pilot George S. Lima, the squadron is intended to introduce minority youth to aviation and the related communication technologies, with participants taking part in a plane flight before the program’s end.
When the latest group of cadets graduated, Lima was on hand to congratulate them, as was his son, Robert M. Lima. In addressing the audience, the elder Lima expressed pride in having been able to start a program that appeared to be helping disadvantaged youths stay on the right track, noting that the prospect of entering the field of aviation or a related profession seemed capable of motivating students toward higher academic achievement.
“A lot of times, we’re losing kids to the streets,” Lima said. “And programs like this help to (steer) them toward something worthwhile.”
Several of the program’s new graduates agreed. The participants, high school and middle school students from Providence, said the program encouraged them to think about life and career possibilities they might not have been exposed to otherwise.
“I think we get a good learning experience out of it,” said Marlon Ford. “It shows how many (things) you can do.”
“It keeps us off of the street,” added Eric Oladapo. “It helps us stay out of trouble, you know?”
“It was fun when we went up in the plane,” said Joann McDowell. “We saw all different places. It was a good experience. It taught me a lot about black aviators.”
Past graduates of the cadet program were also in attendance, including Tom Gaines of Warwick, who participated in the program last year.
Now finishing high school and looking forward to college, Gaines looked back fondly on the experience he shared with others his age, also noting that it looked good on his resume. And while he had not opted to study in an aviation-related field, he said he had benefited from the program, and a career choice was beginning to crystallize in his mind.
“I’m thinking about exercise science,” Gaines said. “I just like working out with the football team and seeing how your muscles work.”
George S. Lima has said in the past that during his military days, with racial segregation still in full force, there was extensive resistance to black men flying fighter planes. And despite not even being afforded the courtesy of being served a beer in some establishments after serving in the war, Lima said he continued to serve his community in various ways in the ensuing years, eventually choosing flying as the focal point for his endeavors with the Black Air Foundation.
Conditions for minorities in the United States have improved considerably since Lima’s days in Tuskegee, as evidenced by the recent election of the country’s first African-American President in Barack Obama. The significance of this event was not lost on the graduation audience, who cheered when Black Air Foundation Board member Ernest K. Faison mentioned the election results.
“Don’t ever, ever, ever not believe in your dreams,” Faison advised the graduates. “Because if you believe it, you can achieve it.”

http://www.pawtuckettimes.com/content/view/58188/27/

Black Air Foundation-Helping dreams to take flight

2008-11-09T16:25:00.008-05:00

Helping dreams to take flight
01:00 AM EST on Sunday, November 9, 2008

By Tatiana Pina - Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — Brigham Middle School student Leon-i Taylor has a high squeaky voice that gets higher as she describes the first time she flew on an airplane two weeks ago.

“The cars were so little they looked like people from up there,” she said. “I saw all kinds of colors.”

Taylor and 11 classmates took part in the Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron Cadets, a program designed to introduce minority students to careers in aviation, filmmaking, television and radio. Yesterday, the students graduated from the program in a ceremony at the John Hope Settlement House.

The aviation squadron was started two years ago by George S. Lima, 89, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of black fighter and bomber pilots in the history of the U.S. Air Corps. Their performance during World War II dispelled reservations in Washington about the ability of black airmen to fly military planes.

Lima, who attended the graduation, said he started the program because it’s important for young people to know that aviation can be a career for them. He spoke to the class about his experiences as an airman during a time when blacks were segregated from whites. The program is run by the Black Air Foundation with a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and other donations.

Students also visited a radio station and a television station. They visited the Quonset Air Museum. Pilot Frank Moreau took the students for a flight in his four-passenger plane. Moreau told the students they had to study hard because they need good grades to be accepted to a pilot school. For some students it was their first time flying.

Cayes DelPeche, 15, a student at Times2 Academy, had never been on an airplane before but the thought of sharing a flight far above the earth with a friend appealed to him.

“I was interested in flying, becoming a pilot,” he said. “I could see taking my family or kids someday. We went 5,000 feet up in the air. I saw Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We passed by Gillette Stadium.”

DelPeche said he had not been aware that black pilots had struggled so much. “I knew people had struggled to vote and with busing but I never knew they had to struggle to fly an airplane,” he said.

Chad Walton, a student at Providence County Day School, said the class gave him a peek at a possible career. He said flying in a plane and his visit to the Quonset museum inspired him. He was considering volunteering to help paint some of the planes at the museum.

Ernest K. Faison, a member of the Black Air Foundation board, told the students that the events of the past few days should serve as an inspiration for them to follow their dreams.

“I’m sure George Lima did not believe that he would see in his life what happened Tuesday when Barack Obama was elected president. What I’m saying to you is don’t ever not believe in your dreams. If you believe it, you can achieve it.”

tpina@projo.com

http://www.projo.com/news/content/FLYING_SQUADRON_11-09-08_U0C7BOR_v33.32257d3.html

Black Air Foundation-Cadets take to the air

2008-11-04T15:58:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday, November 04, 2008, cadets (l-r) Marlon Ford, Eric Oladapo, and Cayes Delpeche ready to take to the air for their first flight at North Central State Airport, Lincoln, RI

(Pictured below is pilot Frank Moreau)

On this day, election day '08, another person also reached for the sky to become President elect Barack Obama.

Black Air Foundation-Visiting the RI Quonset Air Museum

2008-11-01T11:03:00.004-04:00

Saturday, November 01, 2008
Cadets visiting the Rhode Island Quonset Air Museum
Rhode Island Quonset Air Museum

The museum has a large and valuable collection of aircraft, aircraft parts, and other historical artifacts. The 28 aircraft currently on display or under restoration include civilian, military and prototype aircraft dating from 1944 (Hellcat under restoration) to 1983 (F-14 Tomcat).
And the last aircraft to fly from Quonset NAS, a C-1A COD BU#136792 a one of a kind TWIN TAIL Navy transport.

Address:
488 Eccleston Ave., North Kingstown, RI 02852
Phone: 401-294-9540
Email: info@theqam.org
Website: http://www.theqam.org

Hours:
* Winter Hours: Saturday, Sunday From: October through March
* Gladly except groups or special visits by appointment, contact QAM for information.
* Summer Hours: Open Everday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM April through September
* Closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day

Admission
* General: $7.00
* Military (Current uniform members serving with ID): Free
* Children under 12: $3.00
* Seniors 65+: $6.00
* Group Rates Available

Black Air Foundation invites the public to attend The Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron cadet graduation in Providence

2008-10-23T20:27:00.000-04:00

Black Air Foundation invites the public to attend The Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron cadet graduation in Providence
01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron introduces boys and girls, ages 13 to 15, to radio, TV, filmmaking and aviation as a career choice, which includes an actual airplane flight. The graduation ceremony celebration will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the John Hope Settlement House, 7 Thomas P. Whitten Way.

The event will feature a film about cadets in flight and an all original cadet poster exhibit. Complimentary refreshments will be served.

The Black Air Foundation is dedicated to empowering minority youths through education and training. For information, call Marlene Britto at (401) 451-8626 or visit www.blackairfoundation.org.

http://www.projo.com/ri/providence/content/me_10-23-08_TIC1478_v44.126037c.html

Black Air Foundaion- Brown University Alumni Association awards George S. Lima

2008-09-27T19:14:00.000-04:00

Brown University Alumni Association awards George S. Lima
The John Hope Award for Public Service

The John Hope Award, co-sponsored by the Brown Alumni Association and the Swearer Center for Public Service, is named for the 1894 African-American alumnus who dedicated his life to education and community service. With this award, the BAA honors a graduate whose commitment to public service exemplifies leadership, innovation, and a direct impact on the community. The honoree may be a professional whose career is dedicated to public service or a volunteer devoted to public service or social action.

Special note: From 2003 – 2005, due to the extraordinarily high quality of nominations of very young alumni for this award, the John Hope Award selection committee also recognized a number of these nominees with the Young Alumni Service Award. Their names are included in the list below with the designation "YASA".

(Click on a name for more information on the recipient.)

2008 Recipient: George Lima ’48
one of World War II’s famous Tuskegee Airmen, a lifelong activist and public servant.

John Hope Award for Public Service: George Lima ’48

In April 1945, as a member of the U.S. Army’s 477th Bombardment Group, George Lima was one of 60 black Air Corps officers arrested for trying to enter a white officer’s club at Freeman Field in Indiana – a courageous and potentially dangerous decision for a military officer. But this incident proved to be decisive in the Army’s move to integrate its clubs and was a turning point on the road toward the full integration of the military just three years later. As it turns out, this was only one in a series of courageous actions George Lima would take in a lifetime of commitment to civil rights.

The son of immigrants from Cape Verde, Lima first attended NC A&T State College, and served with the legendary Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. Enrolling at Brown after the war, he chose to study sociology in part to try to understand the segregation and discrimination he had witnessed and experienced. After graduation, despite his military service and Brown degree, the only work he could find was as a shipping clerk. But with characteristic determination, he went on to serve as a union representative and organizer, then as an administrator with the War on Poverty and VISTA in Washington.

Returning to Providence, he served as president of the local NAACP and as a Rhode Island state representative – using both positions to continue his fight for civil rights. And the passage of time has not diminished his drive for change. Just a few years ago, now in his 80s, he founded the Black Air Foundation to create programs empowering minority youth through education and training.

Black Air Foundation-Board of Directors

2008-09-11T13:51:00.002-04:00

Black Air Foundaion-

The members of the Board of Directors—are involved with programming respective to their expertise and experience in the fields of aviation, radio, television and filmmaking.

Board Members:

Hon. George S. Lima, Thomas P. Whitten, Napoleon X, Marlene Britto, Robert Lima, Hon. George A. Castro, Jim Vincent, Ron Alves, Ernest Faison, Robert Bailey

Black Air Foundation-Reflections on Race and Sport in America w/ Coach Craig_Robinson_@brown_university

2008-04-14T20:56:00.002-04:00

Reflections on Race and Sport in America. A panel discussion at Brown University on April 14,'08

Craig Robinson @brown_university

Panelists:
William C. Rhode, New York Times sorts columnist
Craig Robinson, Oregon State Head Men's Basketball Coach
Nicole Burns, Brown Tack and Field
James T. Campbell, Moderator, Professor of American Civilization, Africana Studies and History

photos by: Protown Productions

Black Air Foundation-Spike Lee meeting George S. Lima and Napoleon X

2008-04-08T21:51:00.002-04:00

Spike Lee lectures at Brown University

Spike Lee meeting George S. Lima and Napoleon X. The award-winning film producer and director, Spike Lee, was in town for a lecture for the Brown community on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 (7 p.m. Salomon Center for Teaching 101).

photo by James H. Williams, Brown '10

Black Air Foundation-Tuskegee airmen helping kids to fly

2008-04-01T19:13:00.003-04:00

Tuskegee airmen helping kids to fly

Tuesday, 01 April 2008

Herman Wells, Lemuel Fuller and George Lima

BY VINAYA SAKSENA

EAST PROVIDENCE — A former state representative who served in a history-making group of military pilots during World War II is now trying to give young people an opportunity to fly- literally and otherwise.

During that historic war, George S. Lima was one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first-ever group of African American military pilots. Said to have included the only fighter group that never lost a bomber under its watch, the group came to life when the 99th Fighter Squadron was formed at the Tuskegee Institute, a Tuskegee, Alabama-based university founded by Booker T. Washington. The Tuskegee Airmen made history in part because they managed to meet standards for admission allegedly designed to keep black men from serving as military pilots.
“They didn’t believe we were qualified to fly an airplane,” Lima remembered. “(But) I had a pilot’s license before I had a driver’s license.”
Adding insult to injury, Lima found that even after returning home from service, some would still refuse to even serve him a soda in a public establishment. In a way, this experience was symbolic of what Lima and other black pilots of the World War II era had to undergo to advance in society. He allegedly was unable to find better work after graduating from Brown University than he had held beforehand. He ended up rising through union ranks, while participating in various social justice efforts throughout the ensuing decades.
Today, Lima is the president and CEO of the Black Air Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to helping other organizations — such as the Lambert Lima Flying Squadron Cadet Program — in their efforts to help minority youth.
Specifically, Lima and his associates hope to spark interest in aviation and related vocations among young people by giving them the opportunity to fly.
“Our goal is to get them interested in aviation as a career,” Lima explained. “But we also expose them to radio, television and documentary filmmaking.”
The latter element is handled by a fellow Black Air Foundation Board of Directors member known as Napoleon X, a documentary filmmaker, musician and music producer also based in East Providence. X said he was approached by another board of directors member, Marlene Britto, about the possibility of making a film about Lima.
He said he did not need much convincing of Lima’s worthiness as subject matter.
“What got me was the fact that even after all the things he’s done, you could find people who said, ‘oh, he (helped) me on a personal level,’” X said.
“He actually got involved with people on a one to one basis, which to me is very impressive.”
The result of X’s work on Lima’s history was the documentary film Black Men Can Fly: The Story of George S. Lima. The film was broadcast on PBS television, and has since led to a series. X, who is also working on a documentary on rap group Wu Tang Clan, said the film ended up having slightly different meanings for Lima and himself. Lima, he said, seemed to see the film as a literal documentary, while X said he viewed it as a metaphor- implying the possibility that the future could hold greater things in store for black men and other minorities who dared to dream and worked hard to fulfill their dreams. He pointed out that the name of the foundation stemmed from its roots in the experience of the Tuskegee Airmen, and not any bias for or against any particular race.
“It’s called Black Air, but it’s not just a black thing,” X said. “We’re not limited (by) color or race or any of that stuff.”
Participants in the cadet program are given the experience of flying in a plane with help from Frank Moreau, a Lincoln resident who has lent his time and his plane to the program for this purpose. X said that having flown with Moreau and his pupils, he had seen the positive effect the program was having, and could verify that it was a cause well worth supporting.
“You could see it in their faces,” he said. “Most of these kids have never been on an airplane before. It’s changed their lives. That’s a priceless sight.”

Black Air wishes to thank everyone who came out to support our fundraiser event on March 20, 2008.

Slideshow photos courtesy of: CVN News
Jim VIncent, Geor S. Lima, Keith Stokes
Still photos courtesy of The Times
Chops Turner
photos courtesy of The Times

Black Air Foundation-Bryant University -Former Tuskegee Airman speaks as part of Black History Month

2008-02-15T20:47:00.001-05:00

Former Tuskegee Airman speaks as part of Black History Month

Black Experience program features George S. Lima, one of the first black pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

As part of Black History Month, the Intercultural Center at Bryant hosted the Black Experience on February 15 to share the contributions of influential African Americans with members of the Bryant community. The event featured George S. Lima, a former Tuskegee Airman.

Lima, who will turn 89 in April, was born in Fall River, MA, and lived in Harlem, NY, as a child. He graduated from Durfee High School in Massachusetts before enrolling at North Carolina A&T, where he played football and received his pilot’s license.

In 1942, he was called to Tuskegee, AL, to train to become a pilot in the U. S. Army Air Corps. Lima, who eventually became one of the first black pilots, spoke about the adversity he faced because of his race.

“People didn’t believe we could fly the aircraft,” he said.

Renee Gadsden '08 (Fitchburg, MA) and Marjorie Krakue ’08 (Warwick, RI) with George S. Lima.

In a documentary about his life titled “Black Men Can Fly: The Story of George S. Lima,” he told the story of being one of 60 black Air Corps officers who were arrested for trying to enter a white officer’s club when they were stationed in Indiana. When he returned to Rhode Island to study at Brown, he faced similar treatment when he was denied service at a restaurant.

“I fought for my country, came back to go to Brown to get a degree, and I can’t get a beer,” he said. “Those are the kinds of things that happened on a daily basis … so you have to try to fight it.”

Lima has long been a recognized civil rights activist in Rhode Island. He is a past president of the Providence chapter of the NAACP, a former state representative in the Rhode Island General Assembly, and was a labor organizer for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. He also received a Congressional Gold Medal for his work as a photographic officer during World War II.

He recently started the Black Air Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering minority youth through education. The organization provides hands-on training for students interested in aviation, radio, television, and filmmaking.

“It’s been exciting for me to work with the kids,” he said.

George S. Lima

Marjorie Krakue ’08 (Warwick, RI), a member of the Black History Month Committee, helped to organize the event to show students the dedication and commitment of someone in their own community.

“Mr. Lima is a person that was not satisfied with the way things were,” says Krakue, an international business major. “He is a remarkable person that is still making change happen.”

Events like these encourage people to explore history and get involved, says Krakue, who recently accepted a job in the product marketing department at MetLife in Warwick.

Christina Shaw '10 (Woonsocket, RI) shows a poster autographed by George S. Lima.

“I think that all cultural events are very important,” she says. “If we as a university are promoting diversity, we need to make an effort to educate people about the many different cultures around the world.

“By becoming well informed and active in your communities, you too can make a difference,” she says.

To learn more, visit Black Air Foundation.

http://www.bryant.edu/wps/wcm/connect/Bryant/About%20Bryant/News/News%20Releases/2008/February/Black%20Experience

Black Air Foundation-Rhode Island Labor History Society honors George S. Lima

2007-08-23T21:14:00.000-04:00

Rhode Island Labor History Society honors George S. Lima
Thursday Aug. 23, 2007

L-R: Paulina Teixeira, Jim Vincent, Robert Lima, Napoleon X, George S. Lima, Ron Alves, Marlene Britto, Thomas Whitten

photo: Nicholas Murgo

Rhode Island Labor History Society to honor 4

01:00 AM EDT on Monday, August 20, 2007

By Richard C. Dujardin
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — Four Rhode Islanders who distinguished themselves in the state’s labor movement in the areas of law, politics, social activism and education will be honored by the Rhode Island Labor History Society at its 20th-annual banquet Thursday in the Roger Williams Park Casino.

Those being honored are:

•Former state Rep. George S. Lima, a two-term Democrat from East Providence who was also the New England regional director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

In World War II, he was one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of black fighter and bomber pilots in the history of the Army Air Forces, whose performance helped to dispel doubts about the ability of black airmen to fly military planes. Lima was also a consultant and conciliator for various union locals and served as an urban coordinator for the Office of Economic Opportunity and VISTA in New York.

•Patrick Brady, of Pawtucket, a journeyman electrician with Local 99 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Brady, who has a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from the University of Rhode Island, taught at the William M. Davies Jr. Vocational School — now the William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School — where he was a leader of the teachers union, a local of the National Education Association. He went on to become director of training for the IBEW before going back to working as an electrician.

•The Rev. Duane Clinker, a United Methodist minister who is the pastor of the Open Table of Christ Church in Warwick and Providence. Before entering the ministry, Mr. Clinker was an organizer the steamfitters union at the former Builders Iron Foundry, in West Warwick, and later became the statewide director of the Rhode Island Committee for Occupational Safety and Heath. Leaving factory work, he began organizing churches around issues of social justice as the coordinator for the Rhode Island Organizing Project.

•Marti Rosenberg has been a lobbyist for various progressive causes highlighting the plight of the poor in Rhode Island as the director for Ocean State Action. Today the Cranston resident is the development director for US Action.

Scott Molloy, a professor of labor relations at the University of Rhode Island and the Labor History Society’s founder, said the organization has honored nearly 100 individuals who have contributed greatly to the labor movement in Rhode Island.

Tickets to Thursday’s event, which begins with a cash bar at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30, can be obtained by calling Molloy at (401) 782-3614. Tickets are $25.

rdujardi@projo.com

photos by: Protown Productions

http://www.projo.com/ri/providence/content/labor_banquet_08-20-07_N26Q5B6.238c8dc.html

Tuskegee airmen congressional gold medal on WJAR Channel 10 Providence, RI

2007-05-29T21:47:00.000-04:00

Tuskegee airmen congressional gold medal on WJAR Channel 10 Providence, RI.

Black Air Foundation-Cadet Graduation - Session one

2007-05-17T18:06:00.000-04:00

Black Air Foundation 1st Cadets ceremony Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007 Place: John Hope Settlement House, 7 Thomas P. Whitten way, Providence, RI Time: 6 PM - 8 PM

Photos from BAF's Cadet Program



Our training of the Cadets started, February 1, 2007, and we have good reports to make regarding our progress. We would like to thank all of the participating members of the Black Air Foundation for the good work and efforts in making it possible for the first semester of the Lambert Lima Flying Squadron a success.
We would like to thank the John Hope Settlement House and the West End Community Center as well for their contribution, support and efforts in working with the Black Air Foundation. We look forward to continue our working.
Graduates of the Lambert / Lima flying Squadron Cadet Program

(Raymond Santos, Christian Vialva, Tom Gaines) r-l

Black Air Foundation-2006 RI Minority Enterprise Development Week Awards Dinner (MED Week)

2006-11-22T21:03:00.001-05:00

The 2006 RI Minority Enterprise Development Week Awards Dinner (MED Week) Co-sponsored by U.S. SBA and Rhode Island Hispanic-American Chamber of Commerce (HACCRI). Photo of Black Air Foundation representatives (L-R Napoleon X, Robert Lima, Ron Alves, Marlene Britto)

Photo courtesy of RIMIX.COM

Carole Copeland Thomas Show w/ Napoleon X and George S. Lima

2006-08-11T21:42:00.001-04:00

Carole Copeland Thomas Show w/ Napoleon X and George S. Lima. Focus on Empowerment with Carole Copeland Thomas -Friday August 11, 2006 [Part 2]

Focus On Empowerment
Heard Every Friday on
WBNW-1120 AM Boston
Simulcast on www.moneymattersnetwork.net
www.TellCarole.com

Carole Copeland Thomas Show w/ Napoleon X and George S. Lima

Ken Bento TV Interview: BNN Live- Veteran's Showcase

2006-06-16T17:41:00.000-04:00

Ken Bento TV Interview: BNN Live- Veteran's Showcase

June 2005- Boston, Mass

Hosted by Ernest Branch and Renell Baker

Issues dealing with inner city veterans and families in Roxbury, Dorchester, and other sections of Boston and New England.

Black Men Can Fly: The Story of George S. Lima showing at AMGEN Corp. In Rhode Island

2006-02-24T21:37:00.000-05:00

February 22, 2006 (Press Release) -- George S. Lima's story spans 86 years and goes from New England to Harlem, to the Deep South and back. A Tuskegee airman,he continues to fight for people's rights in his community. He was an aviator when it was thought that black men couldn't fly. This is his story; our story. A story which makes us realize that even through the trials, tribulations, struggles and suffering, Black Men Can Fly.

This inspirational film documentary reminds students and professionals to aim high and reach for the sky.
Friday February 24, 2006. Amgen Corp., Rhode Island site, in partnership with ABEN presents George S. Lima, Tuskegee Airman. For further information contact Tony Bass

Courthouse Arts Theatre

2005-12-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

Courthouse Arts Theatre -Dec. 20, 2005

North Kingston, RI
Local Filmmakers Festival Series

RI Public Broadcasting

2005-11-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

RIPBS (RI Public Broadcasting Station)

November 10 & 11, 2005

Television Premiere

Thirteenth State: A Veteran's Day Special" hosted by Paul Zangari

An Officer and a Gentleman

2005-10-16T19:59:00.002-04:00

October 2005

An Officer and a Gentleman

George S. Lima ’48: An African American pioneer in aviation, labor, and politics is still keeping an eye on his alma mater.

An Officer and a Gentleman

By Justin Elliott '07

In April 1945, as a member of the U.S. Army’s 477th Bombardment Group, George S. Lima was one of sixty black Air Corps officers arrested for trying to enter a white officer’s club at Freeman Field, in Indiana. Lima, now eighty-six, described the incident during an interview at his home in East Providence this summer.

Courtesy George Lima

“When you’re a commissioned officer you get a notice from the president that you’re an officer and a gentleman, and you think that, presumably, you’re entitled to everything an officer is entitled to,” he recalled. “And we go to the club and try to get a Coca-Cola—they tell you they can’t serve you—then you react, you know.” As a result of the incident at Freeman Field—an embarrassing name, under the circumstances—the army ordered the base to integrate its clubs and replaced the unit’s commanding officer. Three years later Harry Truman ordered all the armed forces integrated.

It’s no surprise Lima was involved. A lifelong political and labor activist, Lima, the son of immigrants from Cape Verde, was one of World War II’s legendary Tuskegee (Alabama) Airmen, the U.S. military’s first black aviators. After the war Lima and his new wife and daughter moved to Fall River, Massachusetts, from which Lima commuted to Brown—except during football training, when he lived in Hegeman Hall. He helped found the University’s chapter of Omega Psi Phi, a black fraternity, and he studied sociology partly “to get my head straight about this business about segregation and discrimination,” he says.

Despite Lima’s military service and Brown degree, when he sought a job after graduating, the only position the Urban League could find him was as a shipping clerk—the same occupation he’d held before entering the service. Lima refused to be discouraged. He became president of his local union and then worked as a full-time labor organizer for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. He organized the same East Providence Veterans Administration hospital he now visits for diabetes blood tests and traveled widely for the union, once even touring Brazil to teach the differences between free trade-unionism and communist trade-unionism.

Lima’s union work eventually took him to Washington, D.C., where he wound up as an administrator for such federal programs as the War on Poverty and VISTA. Back in Providence, he served as president of the local NAACP; on the night in 1963 that Medgar Evers was killed in Mississippi, Lima was participating in a large sleep-in at the Rhode Island State House to push for passage of a fair housing bill (it later passed). In the mid-1980s, Lima returned to the state house as a two-term state representative and helped pass legislation requiring that a percentage of state contracts be awarded to minority-owned businesses.

A series of bypass surgeries forced Lima to retire in 1998, and he relies on a cane to get around now, but when he’s not fishing or playing table tennis, Lima is still active in local causes. He is starting a nonprofit, the Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron, to attract local children into aviation.

Lately, Lima has been studying Rhode Island’s role in slavery, attending two public meetings of Brown’s Steering Committee for Slavery and Justice. He sees a need “at least for an apology for some of the atrocities that happened during the slave time,” he says. He feels it’s important for Brown and other colleges to lead the investigation. “I mean, who could do it better than an institution like a university?”

Read article

Urban Update NBC Channel 7 Boston

2005-08-16T19:44:00.000-04:00

TV interview: Urban Update NBC Channel 7 Boston

Friday, May13, 2005 (show airs on Aug 14. 2005)

A multi-cultural program that examines news events and issues that have a broad impact on New England's minority communities. The program airs Sundays, from 11:30-12:00 p.m., and is hosted by Byron Barnett

Ken Bento, Byron Arnett, Napoleon XBrian Clarke-Producer & Byron Arnett-Host

Napoleon XKen Bento at the station

RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

2005-08-14T19:58:00.000-04:00

RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

August 14, 2005; "One of the top 10 Short Film Festivals and Top 10 International Film Festivals in the United States.

Steve Kass Show: Napoleon X and Adam Short appear to proote RI International Film Festival

2005-08-07T19:56:00.000-04:00

Radio: Steve Kass Show

Sunday, August 7, 2005

63 WPRO AM radio Providence, RI

Living The Good Life with Steve Kass, Noon - 2:00pm

Appears with Adam Short to promoted the Film Festival
Radio: Steve Kass Show

Sunday, August 7, 2005

63 WPRO AM radio Providence, RI

Living The Good Life with Steve Kass, Noon - 2:00pm

Appears with Adam Short to promoted the Film Festival

Cape Verdean American Newspaper published in New Bedford, MA

2005-08-01T19:55:00.000-04:00

NEWS: CVN NEWS

July-Aug. 2005

Cape Verdean American Newspaper published in New Bedford, MA

(l-r) Ibrahim Abd Sabur, Keith Briggs, Ken Bento, Napoleon X, Marlene Britto, Ron Alves, Ernest Faison

Congratulations to Protown, Ken Bento, Napoleon X and the entire production team on a superb job in spotlighting one of our community's great heroes and leaders.

Yes, it is true that there is so much to say about George, yet so little time. The life and wonderful work of George's late wife Selma, is yet another great story that needs to be told.

We certainly need to tell George Lima's story to all our children. We need to not only tell them, but visually show them, that they too can fly. That they too can soar to new heights, new horizons and possibilities. We need. to the best of our abilities help provide that exciting and purposeful vision of tomorrow that will strengthen their lives.
We can do it! We must do it! We have the talent, skills and technology. All that has been lacking is the necessary networking and will power.

George is one of my life's heroes and I am proud to say one of the recipients of our community newspaper's highest honors, "The Millennium Award" for a life-time of outstanding achievements.

The George Lima story...is a very powerful story that can help ignite the spirit and latent energy and talent that exist within the community.

Again, congratulations and continue, continue success,

Tom Lopes
CNN News

Testimonial Dinner

2005-07-08T19:52:00.000-04:00

Testimonial Dinner

July 8, 2005

@ Riviera Inn, East Providence

Given by the Friends of George

Arlene Violet Show

2005-07-06T19:54:00.000-04:00

Radio: Arlene Violet Show

July 6, 2005

920AM WHJJ Providence, RI

George S. Lima Medal ceremony at Sen. Jack Reed's office

2005-05-05T12:46:00.000-04:00

Medal ceremony at Sen. Jack Reed's office

May 05, 2005

George S. Lima receives his long overdue (60 years after the end of WWII) medals at U.S. Senator Jack Reed's office in Cranston, RI

-World War II Victory Medal.-American Campaign Medal. -Honorable Service Lapel Button

Paradigm Shifting Conference

2005-04-21T19:47:00.000-04:00

Paradigm Shifting Conference

April 21, 2005

First public screening of "Black Men Can Fly"

Sponsored by Johnson & Wales University office of campus diversity in conjunction with CAMRA.

read article in the Providence American

Minority Monitor with Host George A. Castro

2005-04-17T19:50:00.000-04:00

Radio: Minority Monitor with Host George A. Castro

April 17, 2005

Airs on Coast 93.3 FM Providence, RI

Sunday mornings - Watch the interview

BLACK MEN CAN FLY at The Roving Eye Documentary Film Festival

2005-04-15T21:39:00.000-04:00

BLACK MEN CAN FLY at The Roving Eye Documentary Film Festival

BLACK MEN CAN FLY: The Story of George S. Lima, A film by Ken Bento and Napoleon X, showing on Saturday April 15, 11AM, Providence Public Library, Downtown Providence, Rhode Island.
www.blackmencanfly.com

Black Men Can Fly...start of videotaping

2005-01-13T13:51:00.000-05:00

Interview filmed

January, 13, 2005

Initial interview for the documentary filmed in Providence, RI

Black Air Foundation

2011 NAACP-George S. Lima Award

June 24, 2011 - Quonsett Air Show

Four Types of "Broken" Boards

1. Detached Board

2. Servant Board

3. Personalities Board

4. Micro-managing Board

In Contrast, the Strategic Board

Celebrating the life of George S. Lima

George S. Lima April 4,1919 – March 15, 2011

Former Rep. George S. Lima, fighter for civil rights, dies at age 91RI

NAACP, Providence-Branch annual dinner-October 29, 2010

Providence NAACP dinner. The George S. Lima award recepient Dr. Rocha. October 29, 2010

Black Air Foundation - Golf Tournament 2010

Black Air Foundation- 1st Golf Tournament Awards presentation & Dinner

Black Air Foundation- 1st Golf Tournament Foursomes

Golf Tournament- Program booklet

Saturday, October 9, 2010 - 1st Annual GOLF TOURNAMENT

Black Air Foundation members attend Emancipation Day 2010 at Roger Williams Park

Funday! video slideshow

Funday! New Bedford Regional Airport

RI Aviation Hall of Fame inducts 7 with R.I. ties, lauds Tuskegee

Aviation Hall of Fame inducts 7 with R.I. ties, lauds Tuskegee Airmen

01:00 AM EST on Sunday, November 22, 2009

William Spaulding Jazz Quintet -Sunday Sept 27

JAZZ in the Afternoonfeaturing the William Spaulding Jazz Quintetis Back by popular demand...in the CV Club patio..

JAZZ in the Afternoon

Event description

PHOTO EXHIBIT OF WORLD WAR II TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SPONSORED BY BLACK AIR FOUNDATION

Ceremony at Quonset honors 7 Tuskegee Airmen

Ceremony at Quonset honors 7 Tuskegee Airmen

01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, March 10, 2009

President Barack Obama inauguration day

01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Black Air Foundation promotional video

Black Air Foundation- Ex-rep helps youths reach for the sky

Black Air Foundation-Helping dreams to take flight

Black Air Foundation-Cadets take to the air

Black Air Foundation-Visiting the RI Quonset Air Museum

Black Air Foundation invites the public to attend The Lambert-Lima Flying Squadron cadet graduation in Providence