Tuskegee Airmen adding to legacy at Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum

The Colonel Lawrence E. Roberts Incorporated Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen is adding to its legacy at the Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum.

Several Gulfport city council members, along with members of the Colonel Lawrence E. Roberts Chapter, came together for a presentation of the state proclamation for district 1-19 on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen.

“This is something we started working on back in 2017 or so, unfortunately weren’t successful with that initial effort,” said Verba Moore, the president of Colonel Lawrence E. Roberts Inc. “But thanks to representative Hulum, we were able to get it for District 1-19.”

Mississippi has a rich history of Tuskegee Airmen settling down along the coast.

“Some people don’t realize that some of the Tuskegee Airman actually came through Keesler as part of their training, so there’s lot of little nuggets of history about the Tuskegee Airman,” Moore said. “A lot of people know Colonel Roberts, who was a Tuskegee Airman who settled here on the coast”

State Representative Jeffrey Hulum III says this proclamation was needed in Gulfport.

“It’s making sure that their legacy is cemented in stone because they went and fought and gave their life for a country that at the time in which they did, did not fight for them,” said Jeffrey Hulum III. “So what’s the most important thing is,is showing that african americans and not just their plight on america, but the plight that they gave in making this world a better place.”

The next step for the group is to have a state-wide declaration honoring the efforts and accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen.