As a member of the George S. “Spanky” Roberts Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (TAI) in Sacramento, Brown spoke of his experiences attending the Tuskegee Institute and becoming an aviator during the 1940s, and the hardships and racism he faced because he was a black man.

“We wanted them to know we were there and we were coming to get them,” Brown said, describing the meaning behind the red-tailed planes he flew during World War II.

The objective of the George S. “Spanky” Roberts Chapter of TAI “is to cause the community to become more aware of the Tuskegee Airmen story/legacy and let the minority children know that if you dream it, you can achieve your goals,” as

quoted on the chapters Web site. The chapter does a series of presentations on school campuses and other local events.

“It was hard just being a good person because there were so many roadblocks,” Edith Roberts said, spokeswoman for the presentation and wife of George “Spanky” Roberts, the first black commander of the 99th pursuit squadron during World War II.

Roberts introduced the presentation and explained the history behind the struggles of the Tuskegee Airmen.

“People talk about racism or discrimination, but segregation was a law,” Roberts said.

Her introduction was followed by a short video biography, about 15 minutes in length titled, “Tuskegee Airmen: ‘Spanky’ Roberts Chapter Sacramento.”

After the video, Brown began

relating his memories of the famous Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, and the most influential aviator in his life, Luke Ellis. Ellis came to speak at Brown’s high school, and described his experiences fighting the Nazis in the war that was still taking place, World War II.

When the presentation ended, students were able to look at old newspaper articles and other memorabilia that was displayed in the back of the hall. Roberts displays the articles after every presentation to commemorate her husband’s legacy and the men who fought alongside of him.

College Hour’s next event will be ARC Instructor Darline Gunsauls’s presentation on the rewards of teaching and being a parent while living as a deaf person. Gunsauls’s speech will be translated through sign language interpreters for the audience. The event will be held this Thursday, March 1, from 12:25 p.m. to 1:20 p.m., in the Raef Hall, room 160.