African Americans — All Stories — More Than A Headstone

A Man Ahead of His Time

Dick joined the military during a tremendous time of desegregation in the United States. The military had already begun moving toward desegregation nine years earlier with the abolition of segregation in the Armed Forces.

Lifetime of Service, Obstacles & Opportunities, Campus ConnectionsEsteban GomezNovember 17, 2020African Americans, desegregation, U.S. Army, Compassion on Wheels, ASKnet, Promise Keepers

Eyewitness to Desegregation

Burney was assigned to a unit based on race rather than qualifications. The segregated units fostered demoralization amongst black troops, in addition to racism from the white officers

Obstacles & OpportunitiesJulianna BeckertOctober 20, 2019World War II, Korean War, Cold War, African Americans, discrimination, desegregation

Proving His Worth

Newsum never gave up his dreams of flying. He joined the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African American military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Obstacles & Opportunities, Lifetime of ServiceJulianna BeckertOctober 17, 2019World War II, Tuskegee Airmen, African Americans, discrimination, Hubert L. Hooks “Jones” Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen

From Tuskegee to NYPD

In 1945, Randolph Edwards graduated from Rhodes Preparatory School at the age of 17. Dreaming of becoming a pilot, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force before his graduation ceremony.

Obstacles & Opportunities, Lifetime of ServiceJulianna BeckertOctober 17, 2019Tuskegee Airmen, World War II, Korean War, Cold War, African Americans, discrimination, desegregation, NYPD