City Manager's Monthly Message
January 2012
Flyboys and More
The best thing about cold, windy days in our Kansas winter is the permission Mother Nature gives us to hunker down to watch basketball, read a good book, or watch a movie. For me, my weekends are all about reading a few chapters of an Abigail Adams biography, seeing several ballgames at WSU and on television, and topping it off with a movie on Sunday.
It’s Oscar season, so selecting from the many new flicks was tricky, but Red Tails beckoned me. The thrill of combat flying in Red Tails brought back memories of Top Gun, the 1986 blockbuster. Red Tails was also a potent reminder of the complicated history of race relations in our country and the role the military has played in helping Americans grapple with the values of their youth when they clash with the ideals of their country.
Red Tails takes place in World War II when our pilots in Italy summoned courage beyond compare to prove their worthiness–as men and as Americans–in addition to fighting Hitler and his Nazis. The battles won by these airmen in 1944 began to change deeply-held beliefs in our country, although such change occurred over many decades, like water dripping on stone.
Each February in our country, Americans recognize Black history. The purpose of the designated month is to encourage Americans of all ages and races to embrace our national heritage and come to understand that Black history is American history. Any attempt to sideline Black history results in ignorance of the full history of our great nation. An historical perspective is critical to understanding why the things we hear come out of the mouths of some of our fellow Americans of different generations or from various parts of the country can be perplexing and sometimes even cruel.
Former NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a new book out in which he examines the contributions of African-American inventors. My copy is on order. Here’s hoping for more winter weather to keep us indoors with more books, movies, and basketball games.
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