Black Ace

Reference — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:18:52 +0000

Lt. Col. Lee Archer, a member of the U. S. Army Air Forces fighter group of African Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen, died last Wednesday at the age of 90. Archer flew 169 combat missions, and was considered the sole black American “ace” of World War II, having shot down five enemy aircraft.

Archer earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and received special citations from three Presidents. Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1970, Archer joined General Foods as one of the era’s few black corporate vice presidents of a major American company.

Library resources: Tuskegee Airmen

Pullman Porters

Jim — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:53:34 +0000

The planners of National Train Day– May 9^th– are searching for surviving Pullman porters, who will be honored at a celebration in Philadelphia. By the late 1920s, 20,000 African American men served luxury train travelers as porters.

Porters influenced the civil rights movement by forming the first black labor union. The men in effect birthed the black middle class, helping their children and grandchildren improve their economic standing.

Library Resources: Pullman porters, Railroads in U.S. history

PVLD Adult Services Blog » African Americans

Black Ace

Pullman Porters