| 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/
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