Press Releases

Embassy sponsors presentation honoring Tuskegee Airman, Howard Tibbs

March 6, 2008

 

The U.S. Embassy is proud to sponsor a special, multi-media presentation honoring the life and memory of a Tuskegee airman from the State of Ohio entitled: "Citizen, Musician, Soldier and Tuskegee Airman:  Howard Arthur Tibbs, Part of the ‘Greatest Generation’” at 6:30 p.m., Friday, March 6, at the College of The Bahamas’ International Languages and Cultures Institute.

The lecture by his son, Philip Tibbs, comes shortly after the conclusion of Black History Month and focuses on the experience of men who are said to have fought two wars in the mid-1940s: one in Europe against Nazism and another at home against racism.  They were heroes and trailblazers who helped make the United States what it is today.  In 2007, they received the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their role in World War II.

This is the story of the experiences of one of those men – touching on the war, the culture of the Army Air Corps, and the music and social interactions in America in the mid-1940s.  Howard Arthur Tibbs’ many photographs and letters, one of which was featured in a best-selling book, as well as music of the time, serve as the basis for his son’s lecture on modern American history and African-Americana. 

Members of the public are cordially invited to attend.

Photograph caption:  Dr. D. Brent Hardt, Charge d’Affaires, welcomes Mr. Tibbs during a courtesy call at the U.S. Embassy on Thursday, March 6, 2008.