Brigadier General Charles McGee
Charles McGee was an African American pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group. Deployed to Italy in 1944, McGee saw action both escorting heavy bombers on missions to Europe, and engaging enemy fighter aircraft.
Charles McGee was an African American pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group. Deployed to Italy in 1944, McGee saw action both escorting heavy bombers on missions to Europe, and engaging enemy fighter aircraft.
Japanese Americans faced different circumstances in Hawaii following the Pearl Harbor attack than those of their counterparts on the mainland, but still experienced discrimination.
S/Sgt. James Killion, Jr. served for six years in the US Army. In the rain and mud of France, he dreamed of reuniting with his wife and meeting his infant son.
Coast Guardsman Charles Walter David Jr. volunteered to rescue sailors from the doomed USAT Dorchester and also saved the lives of two of his own shipmates.
Pursuing his passion for flight, William Holloman II enlisted in the only unit that would let him fly—the Tuskegee Airmen. He joined as a fighter pilot with the famous “Red Tails” of the 332nd Fighter Group.
Celebrate Digital Learning Day and Black History Month in this dynamic and interactive webcast!
Celebrate Digital Learning Day and Black History Month in this dynamic and interactive webcast!
Throughout World War II, African Americans pursued a Double Victory: one over the Axis abroad and another over discrimination at home. Major cultural, social, and economic shifts amid a global conflict played out in the lives of these Americans. Discover fascinating stories of struggle, setbacks, triumphs, and heroism of individuals who changed history in the Electronic Field Trip: Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II. In this live 50-minute program, student reporters examine artifacts from The National WWII Museum's signature special exhibit, travel to California to learn about injustices in a segregated military at Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, the site of the deadliest munitions disaster during the war, and explore Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park to understand transitions and tensions in American defense factories.
In this interactive cross-country journey, students learn how the pursuit for both victory and equality shaped the story of World War II and transformed the United States for decades to come. During the webcast, your students will have the opportunity to participate live through polling and Q & A with Museum experts.
Two opportunities to watch on Thursday, February 22:
10:00 a.m. Eastern/ 9:00 a.m. Central/ 8:00 a.m. Mountain/ 7:00 a.m. Pacific/ 6:00 a.m. Alaska/ 5:00 a.m. Hawaii
1:00 p.m. Eastern/ Noon Central/ 11:00 a.m. Mountain/ 10:00 a.m. Pacific/ 9:00 a.m. Alaska/ 8:00 a.m. Hawaii
Classroom participation is free but requires advance registration. Sign up today!
Celebrate Digital Learning Day and Black History Month in this dynamic and interactive webcast!
Celebrate Digital Learning Day and Black History Month in this dynamic and interactive webcast!
Throughout World War II, African Americans pursued a Double Victory: one over the Axis abroad and another over discrimination at home. Major cultural, social, and economic shifts amid a global conflict played out in the lives of these Americans. Discover fascinating stories of struggle, setbacks, triumphs, and heroism of individuals who changed history in the Electronic Field Trip: Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II. In this live 50-minute program, student reporters examine artifacts from The National WWII Museum's signature special exhibit, travel to California to learn about injustices in a segregated military at Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, the site of the deadliest munitions disaster during the war, and explore Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park to understand transitions and tensions in American defense factories.
In this interactive cross-country journey, students learn how the pursuit for both victory and equality shaped the story of World War II and transformed the United States for decades to come. During the webcast, your students will have the opportunity to participate live through polling and Q & A with Museum experts.
Two opportunities to watch on Thursday, February 22:
10:00 a.m. Eastern/ 9:00 a.m. Central/ 8:00 a.m. Mountain/ 7:00 a.m. Pacific/ 6:00 a.m. Alaska/ 5:00 a.m. Hawaii
1:00 p.m. Eastern/ Noon Central/ 11:00 a.m. Mountain/ 10:00 a.m. Pacific/ 9:00 a.m. Alaska/ 8:00 a.m. Hawaii
Classroom participation is free but requires advance registration. Sign up today!
Fighting for the Right to Fight in Louisiana
Fighting for the Right to Fight in Louisiana
6:00 p.m. Presentation
Join Marcus Cox, PhD, and Charles Chamberlain, PhD, for a conversation with local WWII veterans about their experiences as African American soldiers and Louisiana residents during the war.
Dr. Cox specializes in the modern Civil Rights Movement, African American history, and US history post-1945. He is the author of over a dozen articles and reviews on the history of African American military personnel, black higher education, and military training programs at black colleges and universities, and the book Segregated Soldiers: Military Training at Historically Black Colleges in the Jim Crow South.
Dr. Chamberlain received his PhD in US History from Tulane University in 1999, and worked for 10 years as Museum Historian at Louisiana State Museum. His book Victory at Home: Manpower and Race in the American South during World War II was published in 2003, and he has written numerous articles on jazz history and Gulf Coast music and culture.
Presented by The Alta and John Franks Foundation.
Can't make it to the Museum? Watch the event live.