WASHINGTON — The U.S. House unanimously approved Wednesday a bill to rename an Alabama post office after the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black fighter pilots who served in World War II.
The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Congressman Shomari Figures, would designate the U.S. post office in Tuskegee located at 401 N. Elm St. as the “Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Post Office.”
“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 Mobile Democrat said.
Alabama’s entire House delegation backed the measure to honor the pilots and support crews who trained at Tuskegee Army Airfield and broke racial barriers with their service. The bill passed via voice vote.
Figures said the Tuskegee community asked him for his help in getting a new name for their post office.
“The history and the significance and the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen is something that the town is known for among many things, but the Tuskegee Airmen is certainly one of those things and we wanted to be able to give the people what they wanted,” Figures told Alabama Daily News.
During a floor speech, the congressman referenced the need to commemorate the courage and sacrifice of the Tuskegee Airmen, especially in the wake of failed efforts to remove them from Air Force training materials last year.
“This history matters and we can never forget it,” the Mobile Democrat said. “This world literally would not look the way it looks today absent the contributions, and sacrifices and service of Tuskegee Airmen. Actions from these men and women highlight the need to document this rich history and memorialize these men and women every chance we get.”
The Tuskegee Airmen, known as the “Red Tails” served in a segregated WWII unit and their all-Black 332nd Fighter Group had one of the lowest loss records of all the bomber escorts in the war.
Figures has also led legislation, co-sponsored by all of Alabama’s House delegation, to build a memorial in the nation’s capital honoring the Tuskegee Airmen.