Black Aviator

Published by the Smithsonian, this wonderful book is an updated copy of the 1934 book entitled "Black Wings." The original was written by an African American army officer and WWI veteran, Lt. William Jenifer Powell. Released 60 years after the original, this copy includes an introduction by the Smithsonian's Curator of Russian/Soviet & African-American Aviation. To make it even more special, this exact copy was donated by the (late) second Director of the Anacostia Community Museum, Steven Newsome, who started out his career as a librarian! This small book details the life of the author, a man who never gave up. In 1914, he was enrolled in the University of Illinois's electrical engineering program. Then WWI broke out. He volunteered for WWI before his senior year of college. After the war, he returned to college as a wounded combat veteran and finished his degree. One of only fourteen Black pilots in the United States, Powell died two weeks shy of his 45th birthday.