Axelbank Reports History and Today

#141: Doug Melville - "Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy and a Quest to Honor America's First Black Generals"

November 14, 2023 Evan Axelbank
Axelbank Reports History and Today
#141: Doug Melville - "Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy and a Quest to Honor America's First Black Generals"
Show Notes

Doug Melville was thrilled to be invited to the screening of a movie about the Tuskeegee Airmen, a movie that he assumed would feature the patriarch of his family tree, Ben O. Davis Jr. He was proud of his family's service to the storied branch of the Air Force, a group of aviators who had fought for their country even though they were ordered to be segregated. Instead, the movie featured only composites of the characters, and failed to use the real names of the American heroes. Melville went on a decade-long journey to discover his family history and make sure that it would never again be forgotten to history. He shows how his family impacted decades of American policy and how they were deprived of being truly honored even when the most powerful people in the country insisted they were doing so. We also discussed Melville's efforts as the director of diversity for an international brand.

Doug Melville's website can be found at https://dougmelville.com/

He is on social media at https://twitter.com/dougmelville

Information on his book from Atria Publishing can be found at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Invisible-Generals/Doug-Melville/9781668005132

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