THE PURPOSE of the Tuskegee Airmen Archive is to collect and preserve as part of a national effort the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, who broke the race barrier in military aviation for African Americans and other minorities. They advanced race relations through their contributions to integration of the Army Air Forces during World War II and compiled a combat record of never losing a bomber that they were escorting to enemy fighters that is still unsurpassed in United States military history.

THE ARCHIVE is available nationally and internationally to researchers, educators, scholars, students, and others in the public arena to help tell the story of these valiant African American men and women. The Tuskegee Airmen Archive forms the cornerstone of a larger initiative at UC Riverside to serve as an archive of African American history and culture in the Western states.

THE ARCHIVE calls special attention, not only to the Tuskegee Airmen and Women's military history, but also to their many contributions to economic development, race relations, politics, business, medicine, military science, the arts and theater, education, and various other fields. The University is working with the SCMEB Foundation and the Tuskegee Airmen and Women to collect their personal letters; photographs; petitions; documentation of their careers before, during, and after military service; books by and about the Airmen; diaries; records of the regional and local chapters; posters; and, other historic resources.

THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, trained as fighter pilots, mechanics, and medics, etc., flew combat missions as bomber escorts in the European theater and never lost a bomber to enemy aircraft. Altogether 992 pilots graduated from the Tuskegee Army Air Field courses. They flew 1,578 missions and 15,533 sorties, destroyed 261 enemy aircraft, and won over 850 medals. In early 2007 the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which was approved by the U.S. Congress and conferred by President Bush on April 11, 2006.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
The University of California, Riverside is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. Comprised of six colleges and schools, the University enrolls more than 17,000 students, maintains a faculty of nearly 700, and supports many specialized research centers and institutes. UCR is a Carnegie Research Extensive, land grant, and public university that ranks among the top 40 research universities in the nation. It is also the 4th most diverse campus in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report, as well as the most diverse of the University of California's ten campuses. The University is strongly committed to diversity and to the achievement of its mission of excellence in instruction, research, and public service.

ABOUT OUR CO-SPONSOR, THE SCMEB FOUNDATION
The SCMEB Foundation is a cultural foundation for minority affairs. The foundation serves as an umbrella organization dedicated to education of women, black history research, and honoring and saluting minority leaders in the field of aviation for their contributions to aerospace advancement. The foundation provides scholarships for underprivileged minority women and supports the advancement and educational preparation of minority women for the profession of midwifery; and, is dedicated to preserving African American history.

• 2010 Tuskegee Airmen Archive brochure (PDF)
• 2009 Tuskegee Airmen Archive brochure (PDF)
• 2006 Tuskegee Airmen Archive brochure (PDF)