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
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. 
