WEEK 3: BENJAMIN O. DAVIS, JR. AND MAE JEMISON
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (1912-2002)
· First African American General in the US Air Force
· Father was the first African American General in any branch of the US military
· Graduated from West Point in 1936 and was commissioned in the infantry in 1941
· Among the first African Americans admitted to the Army Air Corps and pilot training program
· Commander of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, which was the first entirely African American flying squadron and the first to deploy overseas
· Organized the 332nd Fighter Group known as the Tuskegee Airmen, African American fighter and bomber pilots who fought in WWII
· Helped plan the desegregation of the Air Force in 1948
· Received many decorations during his career, including Distinguished Service Medals and a Silver Star
· He received his fourth general’s star in 1998, making him a general of the highest order within the US military
· First African American to be honored in his retirement
· After retiring, Davis headed the federal sky marshal program and was Assistant Secretary of the Dept. of Transportation
For more information, please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_O._Davis_Jr.
Mae Jemison (1956-)
· First African American female to be admitted to NASA’s astronaut training program and first African American female astronaut
· First African American woman in space
· Attended Stanford University on scholarship, and has degrees in chemical engineering, African and African-American studies
· Attended Cornell University Medical College to become a medical doctor
· Served in the Peace Corps as a medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia
· Returned to US in 1985 and decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut
· She was one of 15 chosen candidates of about 2000 applications, and this was the first group chosen after the Challenger disaster in 1986
· After more than a year of training as an astronaut, she earned the title of Science Mission Specialist, in which she would be responsible for scientific experiments on the space shuttle Endeavor
· On her only space mission, she took with her a photo of Bessie Coleman, the first African American female to hold an international pilot’s license
· After leaving NASA, she established the Jemison Group for research and development of advanced technologies
· She has written several books for children, including her memoir, Find Where the Wind Goes
For more information, please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Jemison