Barbara Binns presents the inspiring story of one man in his struggle
for racial equality in the field of battle and the field of medicine.
The Tuskegee Airmen heroically fought for the right to be officers of
the US military so that they might participate in World War II by flying
overseas to help defeat fascism. However, after winning that battle,
they faced their next great challenge at Freeman Field, Iowa, where
racist white officers barred them from entering the prestigious
Officers' Club that their rank promised them. The Freeman Field Mutiny,
as it became known, would eventually lead to the desegregation of the US
armed forces, forever changing the course of American history and race
relations.
One Black officer who refused to give in to the bigotry at Freeman Field
was James Buchanan "JB" Williams. JB grew up the son of sharecroppers,
but his loving family and insuppressible intellect drove him to push
boundaries placed on Black Americans in the early twentieth century.
JB's devotion to the betterment of others took him from the classroom
where he learned to be a doctor, to serving as a medic in the US
military and eventually joining the elite Tuskegee Airmen, where he
fought to change the minds of all who believed Black men couldn't make
good soldiers. But JB's greatest contribution came in his role as doctor
and Civil Rights activist after the war, where he continued to push past
injustices placed on Black Americans.
Critically acclaimed author Barbara Binns tells the story of one man's
remarkable life, and in doing so, explores the trials of the brave Black
freedom fighters who defended the world against racism and bigotry, both
on the front lines and at home.
