On Friday, Feb. 28 Cleveland School of the Arts, students showcased their portraits of local Tuskegee Airmen.
The Tuskegee Airmen were America’s first Black military pilots. They served during World War II. Their service and fight against racism eventually helped lead to the desegregation of the armed forces.
It is believed that only one member of the group is still alive. Nearly 1,000 pilots graduated from the training program in Tuskegee, Alabama, and several dozen pilots hailed from Northeast Ohio.
For weeks, students conducted research at the Western Reserve Historical Society Library. Then they began painting.
Watch News 5's original story on the student project:
The work is part of a partnership with the North Coast Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. for the nonprofit's Cleveland Heroes Project.
Each individual piece of art will be showcased locally at the Western Reserve Historical Society and the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland.
The pieces will also be incorporated into a larger mural that the North Coast Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. said will be part of a showcase “housed at a local airport.”
Khloe Brand drew and painted the portrait of Capt. Erwin Bernard Lawrence Jr.
Friday afternoon, I spoke to Khloe about completing the piece of art and letting the public view it.
"I hope people are more intrigued to actually know about the past and learn about the things that happened," she said. "People tried to erase their history. Even though it was hard sometimes, I'm just glad that everyone persisted through it made such amazing works of art."
