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In celebration of Black History Month, the Howard County Memorial Corporation is teaming up with Indiana University Kokomo’s Black Student Center to host special guest, Tuskegee Airmen historian Zellie Orr for a talk and screening of the movie “Red Tails” on Mon., Feb. 26, at 5:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium on the IU Kokomo campus, 2300 S. Washington St.
The event serves as a kick-off celebration for upcoming traveling exhibit “Tuskegee Airmen: America’s Freedom Flyers” opening at Grissom Air Museum on Memorial Day 2024. The kick-off event takes place on Mon., May 27, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Additional details will be made available as the opening date nears.
The Grissom exhibit is made possible by the Howard County Memorial Corporation and the Community Foundation of Howard County. The traveling exhibit will remain at Grissom through April 1. 2025.
The IU Kokomo event will be the second time Orr has collaborated with memorial corporation’s vice president, Robin Williams, to create an exhibit honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. In 2015 they presented “Nest of Eagles” at the Emma Darnell Aviation Museum in Atlanta, Ga., where Williams served as inaugural director and curator. The exhibit, initially scheduled for only six months, remained at the museum for several years.
Orr is well-regarded as a subject matter expert on the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. She was a recently featured historian on the NFL 360 Documentary “The Flyest Ever” released before Super Bowl.
The Black Student Center, a part of the Multicultural Center at IU Kokomo, welcomes all students, staff and faculty. They work to center the voices, experiences, and dynamic lives of the members of the Black community in a place where all can work, relax, communicate, and learn. The Black Student Center is there to empower students in their endeavors, both personal and in the classroom.
Inside of the Black Student Center, students can find a safe and supportive, inclusive environment. They can take part in community conversations and discussions that provide unique perspectives and insight into issues affecting the African diaspora.
Spend the first Monday of each month listening to music and chatting with friends. View art that celebrates and recalls the Black experience. The Black Student Center also curates activities and events that involve the entire campus.