UrbanFaith Editor Allen Reynolds had the chance to speak to Dee Rees, one of many administrators of the hit Apple TV+ collection Masters of the Air which featured the Tuskeegee Airmen and fighter pilots throughout World Struggle II. He talked with Dee about what it was like to inform share this piece of historical past with the world.
Allen
Thanks a lot for sharing with us the City Religion. And I must say that it was actually shifting and a pleasure to observe these episodes of Masters of the Air, particularly episode 8 you bought to participate in directing. My first query, Dee, is taking a look at that second to final episode, why was it essential within the midst of a collection that targeted rather a lot across the Preventing 100th squadron to inform the story of the Tuskegee Airmen for you? Why was that an essential selection?
Dee Rees
Certain. It was essential to inform the story of the Ninety-9 Preventing Squadron, as a result of they’re what enabled the a hundredth to achieve success. So, it was essential to type of get that a part of the story in entrance of audiences and know that these males had been additionally masters of the air.
Allen
Completely, they had been. Are you able to speak a bit of bit about why you selected to not simply present them as heroes, but additionally present them as people who had been making an attempt to beat rather a lot within the course of?
Dee
Proper, so in episode seven, we’re rather a lot, the story is ready in Stahlglof 3, and so our guys are actually grounded, ? And so with out the gear, with out the planes, with out the machines, they’re actually pressured to confront themselves and confront the issues in them which can be gonna have to vary to not simply escape, however to make their lives post-war higher. And so, it was good to actually get into the friendships and simply type of get into the [humanity] and the struggles. They’re gonna have to love vow to be like higher folks. I believe after they’re [not] flying it pressured the characters to actually sit. Sit out of the motion and to relent. And in that [waiting], having the ability to relent to circumstance, changing into like higher males and stronger males and actually desirous about having to vary their lives. And the identical for the Tuskegee airmen in that camp. I needed to indicate that that was the primary time that plenty of their white colleagues had been in proximity with black folks and a pressured to type of confront these personal demons inside themselves and resolve who they’re gonna be.
Allen
Are you able to speak about why it’s essential that we bought to see them make that bridge and type of what that speaks to within the midst of that bigger World Struggle II context and for us studying that historical past.
Dee
Yeah, so for Megan and Jefferson [The Tuskegee airmen], they’re acutely conscious that they’re not simply preventing this battle overseas, they know that they’re gonna must go residence to a different battle, ? On this combat, they’ve allies and that’s the way in which they’re capable of survive. And it’s type of getting by means of the concept they’re gonna want those self same allies to combat their battle at residence. And on this small means, we begin to counsel that perhaps they’ll begin to type of discover these [allies] in these males who’ve served collectively. It type of highlights the bravery and braveness of those airmen who’re preventing for a rustic who’s not essentially gonna combat for them. It heightens their wrestle after which contextualizes it versus the opposite the members of the a hundredth who’re, , caught up in their very own worlds. It type of broadened their type of outlook to say, “wow, take a look at these guys who’ve this greater wrestle.”
Allen
Completely. So final query for you, Dee. What are some takeaways or some classes you’d need younger people to listen to from [Masters of the Air]?
Dee
I might type of go to a few of the mottos of the preventing squad themselves: “goal excessive and count on to win,” ? Although, you possibly can’t change the climate, like one in every of my favourite strains, like “you possibly can’t change the climate, however that simply teaches you easy methods to fly higher and be higher pilots.” And in that means, the Tuskegee airmen needed to turn out to be higher pilots as a result of they had been up towards winds that they couldn’t change.
