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EXHIBIT: THE TEST: Tuskegee Airmen at The Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center (Portsmouth)
July 17, 2021
New hours for the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center will be Wednesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, noon – 4:00 p.m. Admission will be by donation.
Features of the three new exhibits will include:
THE TEST: Tuskegee Airmen
June 12 – October 11, 2021
THE TEST shares the story of the first African-American U.S. Military aviators and their introduction into combat during World War II. The aviators were part of an effort by the War Department to determine if African-Americans had the capabilities to be effective combat aviators. In early 1943, the first African-American squadron deployed to North Africa to enter combat. This began the critical test phase of the Tuskegee Experiment. The outcome would impact and determine the future opportunities open to African-Americans in and outside of the military. THE TEST shares the incredible story of men in war struggling to be the best Americans they could be while struggling against racism and prejudice from their fellow countrymen.
Highlighted in the traveling exhibit created by Jerry Taliaferro is the story of Petersburg, Virginia native Lt. Col. Howard L. Baugh who flew with the 99th Fighter Squadron.