Ball State celebrates a part of Indiana's living history when seven of the original Tuskegee Airmen visit campus Feb. 28 in a special Black History Month event. The airmen, six from Indiana and one from Chicago, will be joined by the widows of two of their comrades in presentations at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in Emens Auditorium. Both programs are free and open to the public. 

The 10 a.m. presentation has been arranged for local school children in grades K-12, but community members are welcome to attend as space is available. The airmen will offer another presentation at 3 p.m. that is geared to community members and college students, according to Maria Williams-Hawkins, associate professor of telecommunications and co-organizer of the event along with Elizabeth Gillentine from Muncie Community Schools.

Both presentations will open with a 15-minute video about the Tuskegee Airmen, an Army Air Corps program that began in 1941 to train black Americans as military pilots. It was the first step to prove that the military could be integrated.

Following the video, the airmen will recall their experiences in the Army Air Corps. There will be a question-and-answer session following the presentation.

Williams-Hawkins said the support from community sponsors has been tremendous, and she is hopeful members of the campus and Muncie communities will take advantage of the opportunity to come and see a bit of living history in their midst.

"Many of these original airmen, those who were recruited from 1941-1948, are getting quite elderly," she said. "The Tuskegee Airmen are an American treasure. For the most part, they have gone unnoticed by the average person, and they have a tremendous story to share."

The program is made possible through the support of more than a dozen community and university sponsors.