US Air Force resumes teaching about Tuskegee Airmen after DEI review

After public outcry, the Air Force will continue to have a video on the Tuskegee Airmen as a part of its basic military training curriculum.

Air Force temporarily removed Tuskegee Airmen video from basic training curriculum

The Air Force said Sunday, Jan. 26, the curriculum on the pioneering Black pilots has passed review to ensure compliance with the president’s executive order on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Unheard Voices reported that the video in the Air Force about the Tuskegee Airmen as well as another about civilian women pilots trained by the U.S. military during World War II, known as “Women Air Force Service Pilots,” or WASPs, were not being taught in basic training pending a review.

Statement on the class

The Air Force on Sunday said both videos will be taught.

“No Airmen or Guardians will miss this block of instruction due to the revision, however one group of trainees had the training delayed,” said Lieutenant General Brian Robinson, who leads the Air Education and Training Command in a statement.

About the Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of around 1,000 black pilots who were trained at a segregated air base in Alabama between 1941 and 1946.

They flew hundreds of patrol and attack missions during the war, escorting American bombing crews over Europe.

About WASPs

The female pilots were vital in transporting new planes bound for fighting in Europe from the factories where they were produced. Their contribution was later recognized honoring the women the right to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, which is reserved for military personnel.