Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Museum & Flight Academy reopens with new exhibit

Kamal Morgan
Pensacola News Journal

After being shuttered for more than a year during the COVID pandemic, the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Museum & Flight Academy is officially back open.

The first Black four-star general in the United States, James became one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the first black pilots of the U.S. Air Corps.

Born and raised in Pensacola, James' history and that of the Tuskegee Airmen should be well known throughout the area. A group of local men and women took it upon themselves, however, to ensure that everyone knew the legacy he left.

Three years ago, his childhood home at 1608 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive was renovated and changed into the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Museum & Flight Academy to honor his life and legacy. 

More on the house:

• Pensacola's Chappie James Museum hosts open house to recruit potential volunteers

• Chappie James' Pensacola home reborn as museum and flight academy

• Chappie James' childhood home in Pensacola to reopen as museum, flight academy space

COVID-19 forced businesses and organizations across the country to close their doors, however, and the museum was no different. But that changed on Friday when the museum officially reopened.

"A lot of history is not being taught in school," said Goreatha Simmons, secretary of the board for the museum. "We want our children in the local and surrounding areas to come in and be educated on how much he contributed to the community as well as (to) the Tuskegee Airmen."

The Chappie James Museum and The General Daniel “Chappie” James Flight Academy will celebrate the 100th birthday of the Pensacola native on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at Sanders Beach.

The closure of the museum gave volunteers time to put together a new exhibit that focuses on a memorable moment in James' career.

James' first assignment was to Selfridge Field’s 477th Bombardment Group to train in B-25s, where his unit was segregated. The combat veterans, resented the arrangements, prompting a group of officers to enter a white officers’ club. They were arrested and charged with mutiny and disobedience of orders, as reported by the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

James was among more than 100 Black officers who were taken into custody after they refused to sign a directive that legitimized separate facilities for Black and white officers. James worked with William T. Coleman, a future secretary of transportation, and Coleman Young, the future mayor of Detroit. Their lawyer was future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Their negotiations prompted Secretary of War Henry Stimson to declare that no longer could separation of military personnel be based on race in the use of facilities, including officers’ clubs.

Out of the incident, James became one of the models for non-violent protests for the Civil Rights Movement. 

Incidents like those in Indiana are why Simmons wants to educate the community on historical events that were not taught to them as children, and the Chappie James Museum is a great way for that to happen, she said. 

James' teachings helped the Tuskegee Airmen become famous for their heroism as they earned eight Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars, three Distinguished Unit Citations, and 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses.

“That’s pretty good considering that they assumed that Black folks couldn't fly,” said Dr. Marion Williams, vice president of the board for the Chappie James Museum. 

The racism and discrimination in the United States and in the military could not stop the incredible feats by these Black men, Williams said. 

“My effort is to make sure that we will make the community knowledgeable of the contributions that he made,” said Dianne Robinson, board treasurer and volunteer tour guide. “We wanted to make sure that we give all the information out to the community and have them get involved in coming out and seeing this exhibit.”