U.S. Representative Shomari Figures, D-Alabama, saw his bipartisan bill to rename a Tuskegee post office after the Tuskegee Airmen pass the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote Wednesday.
“The Tuskegee Airmen are among the most consequential and impactful service members in our nation’s history,” Figures said. “They were heroes who were instrumental to the Allied victory in World War II and helped to pave the way for the desegregation of the United States military. Renaming this post office is a meaningful way of honoring their legacy, and I will continue working in Congress to ensure that the Tuskegee Airmen receive the recognition that they rightly deserve.”
The Tuskegee Airmen were African American pilots and support personnel who trained at Moton Field and Tuskegee Army Airfield and served during World War II, becoming the first African American military aviators in the U.S. armed forces. They defended the nation and fought abroad while overcoming racial barriers at home, helping pave the way for future generations of service members and military leaders.
Figures’ bill would designate the Tuskegee Post Office at 401 N. Elm St. as the “Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Post Office.” The legislation was co-sponsored by every member of Alabama’s U.S. House delegation.
Figures has also introduced the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Act, a bipartisan bill to establish a memorial in Washington honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. The bill is also co-sponsored by the entire Alabama U.S. House delegation and 43 additional members of Congress.
