JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The Black History Month committee hosted a luncheon at The Club at Andrews on Feb. 19, 2014, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
Lt. Cmdr. Bryan Pettigrew, , assistant officer in charge of Navy Information Dominance Corps Region of Washington, D.C., was the guest speaker for the event.
"There were a lot of people, to include my dad, who risked life and limb," said Pettigrew. "They wanted to ensure their constitutional and civil rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Injustice was simply a way of life in his father's time. Before the Civil Rights Act, black Americans, even in the military, were not treated with the same dignity and respect as others.
Pettigrew's father, Robert Pettigrew, served in the Army Air Corps. from 1944-1946. His father was a corporal, drafted under the Tuskegee Experiment.
"My dad and his fellow Soldiers and Airmen had to go to the back of the restaurant, basically a take-out window," said Pettigrew. "They had to order their food, get it in a box and take it elsewhere to eat it."
He stated that his father was originally scheduled to go to Tuskegee to learn to fly but became a radio technician.
America has changed a lot since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Now, the military is more diverse, where people of all ethnicities serve together.
"For the most part, we have equal rights and equal opportunities for all to succeed in the military," said Pettigrew. "Regardless of skin color, your advancements are based on your qualifications, education and the strength of your record."
In 1941, the military paved the way for the nation when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, which prohibits racial discrimination in the national defense industry.
"Hopefully this generation will take us in a greater direction, with equal opportunity and justice for all," said Pettigrew. "Black history is American history and as Americans, we need to embrace and learn about that history."
Master Sgt. Jannine D. Pete, 11th Wing Command Section superintendent, is the chairwoman for the Black History Month committee.
"I was so blessed to be a part of this event," said Pete. "We want to honor those who paid it all, who sacrificed so much for what we have, and to be thankful to God to be where we are right now."
Pete stated that like herself and her family, many other black Americans depended on their faith to get through the tough times of segregation and discrimination
"Black history is part of the fabric of our country," he said. "African-Americans have contributed to the greater American experience throughout history."