The sepia images fade to color images of black aviation pioneers along a wall at Florida Memorial University’s William Lehman Aviation Center, home to aspiring black pilots in the backyard of Miami Gardens.
That’s Oneida Rollins’ favorite thing about the exhibit. “The color combination and the earthy feel of it gives you a sense of the times and how it has changed,” Rollins, chairman of the university’s aviation and safety program, told the Miami Herald.
On Thursday, the university opened its new museum Blacks in Aviation: A Legacy Beyond the Skies, an ode to black aviation pioneers, from the first black woman to earn a pilot’s license, Bessie Coleman, to Miami’s own Barrington Irving, the first Jamaican-American to solo the to fly around the world.
The museum takes you on a tour through the history of aviation, featuring 10 black pilots, including astronauts Mae Jemison and Guion S. Bluford Jr., the first black astronauts to go into space. It also features an exhibit about the Tuskegee Airmen, including replicas of items worn by the pilots.
It was a sight to behold for FMU’s interim president William McCormick, a graduate of the university.
“For me it has come full circle,” he said during the ceremony marking the opening of the museum. “The [aviation] program began during my senior year at Florida Memorial. I remember all the work it took to get the funding from the federal government.”
Founded in 1879, Florida Memorial University opened its aviation school in 1988 after Congressman William Lehman fought for funding to build the school. The three-story building, also named after Lehman, trains students to become pilots and air traffic controllers in aviation, among other things.
McCormick said the museum is a reminder of how far black people have come in aviation.
“The museum is a showcase of pioneers who started at a time when black people were not even eligible for aviation,” he said. “Every day [students] can walk through the corridors. They can read, they can see, they can look at all the activities that have taken place in the field of aviation.”
FMU senior Sarai Stewart said she didn’t meet many black pilots growing up, and that the museum is a reminder of what is possible. “I’ve seen our aviation department grow from my freshman year to now, and it’s a complete 180,” she said. “It looks absolutely amazing.”
Rollins echoed these sentiments, saying, “This museum sets the tone because our students want to know where they came from, and then they want to know where they are going.”
The aviation museum was in the works for about a year and a half before it was completed in October and was a joint effort between FMU staff and students, who helped with the design portion of the museum, said Vice President and Provost Jacqueline Hill.
“It’s such an incredible journey that we’ve been on because this is a historic footprint here in our community because we are one of the few aviation programs in South Florida that serves African American students and people of color,” Hill said.
The museum’s opening coincided with a $150,000 donation from Miami-based American Airlines for student scholarships. Hill sees the partnership as an opportunity to create a pipeline from FMU to American Airlines.
“I see this as an opportunity for growth and expansion,” Hill said.
IF YOU GO:
What: FMU’s Blacks in Aviation: A Legacy Beyond the Skies Museum
When: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Where: FMU’s William Lehman Aviation Center, 15800 NW 42nd Ave., Miami Gardens
Info: Visitors can arrange a museum tour by contacting Aviation & Safety Administrative Assistant TyEisha Steel at tyeisha.steele@fmuuniv.edu; https://www.fmu.edu
