Military History of African Americans in Popular Culture
The following is a list of notable African American military members or units in popular culture.
| Release Date (or Year) | Name (or event) | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 (1945) | Wings for This Man | a "propaganda" short about the Tuskegee Airmen was produced by the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Forces. The film was narrated by Ronald Reagan. | |
| 1984 (1984) | A Soldier's Story | a 1984 drama film directed by Norman Jewison, based upon Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning Off Broadway production A Soldier's Play. A black officer is sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant in Louisiana near the end of World War II. | |
| 1989 (1989) | Glory | film featuring the 54th Union regiment composed of African American soldiers. Starring Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick | |
| 1990 (1990) | The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson | A film about the early life of the baseball star in the army, particularly his court-martial for insubordination regarding segregation. | |
| January 31, 1992 (1992-01-31) | Family Matters |
In the episode entitled "Brown Bombshell", Estelle (portrayed by actress Rosetta LeNoire) is determined to share the stories of her late fighter-pilot husband and World War II's Tuskegee Airmen to an uninterested Winslow clan. Eventually, she is invited to share her stories to Eddie's American history class. | |
| 1996 (1996) | The Tuskegee Airmen | Produced and aired by HBO and starring Laurence Fishburne. | |
| 1997 (1997) | G.I. Joe action figure series | The Tuskegee Airmen are represented. | |
| 1999 (1999) | Mutiny | TV made film of the 1944 Port Chicago disaster | |
| 2001-2005 (2001-2005) | JAG | The Commander Peter Ulysses Sturgis Turner (played by Scott Lawrence) is an African-American navy Officer in the JAG TV series. Former submarine officer, he serves now as lawyer in JAG | |
| 2002 (2002) | JAG: "Port Chicago" | The television drama features the incident | |
| 2002 (2002) | Hart's War | a film about a World War II prisoner of war (POW) based on the novel by John Katzenbach | |
| 2004 (2004) | Silver Wings and Civil Rights: The Fight to Fly | this documentary film was the first film to feature information regarding the "Freeman Field Mutiny", the struggle of 101 African-American officers arrested for entering a white officer's club. | |
| May 17, 2005 (2005-05-17) | Red Tails | George Lucas announced he was planning a film about the Tuskegee Airmen. In his release Lucas says, "They were the only escort fighters during the war that never lost a bomber so they were, like, the best." | |
| Wild Blue | Book, by Stephen Ambrose where the Tuskegee Airmen were mentioned and honored. | ||
| Willy's Cut & Shine | a play by Michael Bradford depicting African American World War II soldiers and the troubles they encounter upon returning home to the Deep South. | ||
| 2009 (2009) | Fly | a play about the Tuskegee Airmen | |
| 2010 (2010) | For Love of Liberty | a PBS documentary television series that portrays African-American servicemen and women and their dedicated allegiance to the United States military. |
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