DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- The 41st Electronic Combat Squadron held several events across February 25th and 26th in recognition of Black History Month at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The 41st ECS hosted a briefing celebrating the legacy of black service members in order to share the history of African Americans in service, especially those significant to the members of the 55th Electronic Combat Group. The team also held a black heritage flight in honor of all black service members – past and present.
“We started with the briefing in honor of Black Heritage Month and the theme was ‘Looking Back and Looking Forward’,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jada Roth, 41st ECS Arabic airborne language analyst. “We went over heritage and history, we also had personal stories that were shared with the group. We were just trying to highlight black service members and how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.”
The events were held during the national Black History Month and recognized black heritage while remembering the people and events that helped get the Air Force to where it is today.
“Something like this is so significant to the Air Force because it’s an opportunity to celebrate diversity and celebrate black service members of the past and (the present),” Roth said. “It’s an opportunity for the little kids to see people that look like them doing these type of jobs so they can think, ‘They’re doing it, then I can do it.’”
Celebrating and recognizing the service and accomplishments of those that have come before us is just one way that Davis-Monthan and the 55th ECG pay tribute to diversity and heritage.
“I’m hoping that this event that we were able to put on encourages other units to do something similar,” said Senior Airman Khalil Jones, 41st ECS Pashto airborne language analyst. “Go and show appreciation for your culture – whether that being Mexican, Asian or being a woman – put that on display in your unit because having more diversity and representation in the Air Force does make us a strong Air Force.”