| |
| |
|
|
SENATE RESOLUTION
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
|
|
join the National Aviation Education Center and the |
|
|
Commemorative Air Force in recognizing 125 years of Black |
|
|
aviation history; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Black innovators and aviators overcame seemingly |
|
|
insurmountable barriers during the Jim Crow era to help lay the |
|
|
foundation for modern advanced aviation, yet their contributions |
|
|
to the field have been largely overlooked and underappreciated; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, This storied history can be traced back to 1899, |
|
|
when John Frederick Pickering of Haiti applied for an aviation |
|
|
patent for his flight machine, and he was awarded United States |
|
|
Patent Number 643,975 on February 20, 1900; Charles Frederick |
|
|
Page, a former slave of Pineville, Louisiana, also applied for an |
|
|
aviation patent for his invention in 1903, and he was awarded |
|
|
United States Patent Number 817,442 on April 10, 1906; both of |
|
|
these men's original innovations were designed and tested before |
|
|
the Wright brothers made their famous first flight; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Black pilots continued breaking barriers in the |
|
|
early 1900s, and during World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen |
|
|
garnered public attention as the nation's first Black military |
|
|
pilot group; these extraordinary servicemen persevered amid |
|
|
discriminatory policies and prejudice to protect the nation with |
|
|
exceptional skill and bravery in aerial combat, and their |
|
|
achievements established the groundwork for racial integration |
|
|
of the United States Armed Forces and the civil rights movement; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, On February 21 and 22, 2025, guests gathered at |
|
|
the Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center to honor |
|
|
the positive impact and enduring legacy of Black trailblazers in |
|
|
the field of aviation as part of the center's Black History Month |
|
|
celebration; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th |
|
|
Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the pioneering Black men who |
|
|
helped to shape modern aeronautics and join all in celebrating |
|
|
125 years of Black aviation history; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in |
|
|
honor of this special occasion. |