Figures Marks Veterans Day, Bipartisan Bill to Establish Tuskegee Airmen Memorial in DC Gains Momentum

WASHINGTON - Today, in recognition of Veterans Day, Congressman Shomari C. Figures announced that his bipartisan legislation to establish a monument in Washington, DC, to honor the Tuskegee Airmen has reached 56 cosponsors, including 21 Republicans, and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Armed Services. The memorial will serve as an educational resource, designed to teach future generations about one of the greatest, most well-decorated fighting forces in our nation's history, and to highlight the important roles that Black military pilots and support personnel played in World War II.

"I'm honored to represent the over 40,000 veterans who live in the Second District, and I will continue fighting to ensure that they receive the support and recognition that they deserve," said Figures. "Our community has a storied military tradition and is home to the Tuskegee Airmen, who are among the most heroic and impactful service members in our nation's history. They played a pivotal role in the Allied victory in World War II and paved the way for the desegregation of our military. Their contributions and sacrifice deserve to be memorialized in our nation's capital."

Congressman Figures' legislation - the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Act - would authorize Tuskegee Airmen, Incorporated to establish a memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia. Authorization is an essential, required first step towards making this memorial a reality. Tuskegee Airmen, Incorporated is a national nonprofit founded to preserve the history and achievements of the original Tuskegee Airmen and engage with youth to inspire future careers in aviation.

Click here to read the bill.

Click here to read a one-pager.

This legislation is cosponsored by the entire Alabama House Congressional Delegation, Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Hank Johnson (GA-04), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Troy Carter (LA-02), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), Wesley Hunt (TX-38), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Danny Davis (IL-07), André Carson (IN-07), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Christian Menefee (TX-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Julia Brownley (CA-26), John Garamendi (CA-08), Don Bacon (NE-02), Don Davis (NC-01), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Glenn Thompson (PA-15), Austin Scott (GA-08), Jeff Hurd (CO-03), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Clay Fuller (GA-14), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Eugene Vindman (VA-07), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Adam Smith (WA-09), Keith Self (TX-03), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Jefferson Shreve (IN-06), John McGuire (VA-05), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), and Mike Ezell (MS-04).