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Soaring to Glory: A Tuskegee Airman's Firsthand Account

Lt. Col. Harry Stewart discusses his experience as a Tuskegee pilot in Ford's Curious Minds

DEARBORN, Mich. — Lt. Col. Harry Stewart had to sit in a segregated rail car on the journey to Army basic training in Mississippi in 1943. But two years later, the twenty-year-old African American from New York was at the controls of a P-51 Mustang, escorting and protecting bombers, so they could reach their targets. By the end of World War II, he had not just become an American hero ... he gave a voice to those unheard.

Recently, Lt. Col. Stewart joined Ford Fund's Pamela Alexander as part of the Ford Curious Minds speaker series. This series brings in subject matter experts to Ford, giving employees license to explore topics that go beyond automotive and help deepen their understanding.

Watch the video below as Lt. Col. Stewart reflects on the greatness and the struggles of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American fliers in the United States Armed Forces.

Want to learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen? Learn more in the documentary Our Stories: Our Voices—The Tuskegee Airmen.

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