Colonel John Charles Robinson (This Name Deliberately Changed for Identity Denial).
General.
General.
Colonel John Charles Robinson was born on 24 February 1903 in Ethiopia,
East Gojjam Zone, Hulet Eju Enese, Motta Area. He was the first
Ethiopian, African-American black who opened a Pilot Training college. He also
served in the Ethiopian Royal Air Force and defended Ethiopia against Fascist
Italy. He was badly injured when his plane crashed in Addis Ababa on his way to
the city of Nazret (now Adama) to deliver blood to another person injured in
another plane accident. After 10 days in the hospital, he died in April 8, 1954
from his injuries. He was buried at the Gulele Cemetery in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.
Details
Colonel John Charles
Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam (November 26, 1903 – March 26, 1954) was an Ethio-American Pilot
and political activist who was hailed as the "Brown Condor" for his
service in serving in the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force against
Fascist Italy. Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam pushed for
equal opportunities for African/Ethiopian-Americans during his early career,
and was able to open his own eponymous aviation school in addition to
initiating a program for Black Pilots at his own college, THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE. Colonel John Charles Robinson of
Ethiopia, Gojjam's achievements as a distinguished aviator were in stark
contrast to the “limited opportunities for most Black-Americans in aviation
careers, and were an important factor in reducing racially based prohibitions
in the United States. Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam is
sometimes referred to as The Father of
the Tuskegee Airmen for inspiring this All-Black set of pilots who
served during the United States' entry into World War II.
Colonel John Charles
Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam completed his education at Gulfport High School
for the Colored in 1919, where he developed a strong interest in mechanics and
machinery. However, Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam could not
continue his education in Gulfport; African-Americans were barred from
continuing their education beyond the tenth grade. Colonel John Charles
Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam subsequently made preparations to attend the Tuskegee
Institute in Alabama. He first attended college at the Tuskegee Institute
on September 1921 to study automotive mechanical science, graduating three
years later. In addition to studying automobiles, he learned math, literature,
composition and history. He repeatedly applied to the Curtiss-Wright School of
Aviation in Chicago, but was denied each time. He ended up getting a job there
as a janitor and unofficially sat in on classes until an instructor managed to
secure a place for him, and was the first black student at the school. Prior
to entering college, Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam held a
short-term job as shoeshine man before getting a job as warehouse personnel. After
finishing his college degree, Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam
was unable to find a suitable career in his hometown of Gulfport. Colonel John
Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam attributed this to racial discrimination
as many of the local garages were under white ownership; speaking to his
father, he said, "[The garage owners will] give me a job sweeping, filling
gas tanks, changing tires, or washing, but I'm an engine man ... When I
talk to [them] about automotive science they smile, look at each other, and
then look at me like I belong behind a mule and a plow."
Colonel John Charles
Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam consequently moved to the Detroit where jobs in
the automotive industry might be more plentiful. There, he had difficulty
finding a line of work that his college degree would have ensured him, mainly
due to his extensive knowledge on the trade being unwelcome by those who could
not keep up with his intellect. Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia,
Gojjam continued to refuse jobs sweeping or as a messenger boy, and managed to
become a mechanic's assistant instead. Despite continued discrimination and
failure to acknowledge his experience from some of his white coworkers, Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam's skill was noticed and he was promoted
to a full mechanic and was given a pay raise. Sometime later, he was approached
by taxicab owner named Fitzgerald who offered to double his pay to work for
his garage. Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam took the job, but
was never comfortable working for a business that secretly bootlegged whiskey
to Canada during Prohibition Age. Despite his successes as a mechanic, Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam began searching for means to take to
the air. He was eventually directed to a small field, where he met pilots
Robert Williamson and Percy, and earned his first flight in Robert's WACO-9
after fixing the engine on Percy's Curtiss JN-4D (Jenny). Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam was determined as ever to get back
into the air, and sought his next best chance to do so in Chicago. After
opening a garage for income, he repeatedly applied for Curtiss-Wright School of
Aviation. Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam was rejected every
time, but circumnavigated this roadblock altogether by becoming a janitor on
Saturday nights, thereby being able to listen in on the lessons being taught in
the evening class at the time. Becoming exposed to like-minded individuals in
the subject, Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam started the Aero
Study Group, one that successfully manage to build its own airplane, tested out
by the same night teacher whose class Colonel John Charles Robinson of
Ethiopia, Gojjam cleaned, Bill Henderson. Impressed by the plane, Henderson got
Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam a slot at the school and
under the instructions of Mr. Snyder, became a licensed pilot. Before long, Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam convinced the school to allow his
peers from the Aero Study Group to enroll and become pilots as well. Later, Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam, along with his friend Cornelius
Coffey formed the Challenger Air Pilots Association for African Americans
wanting to fly.
Deciding that aviation
school should not be closed to African-Americans, Colonel John Charles Robinson
of Ethiopia, Gojjam and his friend Cornelius Coffey opened their own
airfield in Robbins, Illinois, the John Colonel John Charles Robinson of
Ethiopia, Gojjam School of Aviation. To further promote black pilots, Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam convinced his old college, the Tuskegee
Institute, to open up a school of aviation, as soon as funds were available to
do so.
In January 1935, Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam announced his intentions to volunteer
to defend Ethiopia in its ongoing conflict with Italy. The announcement
took place at a meeting of black business owners and community leaders
sponsored by the Associated Negro Press (ANP) in Chicago. Dr. Halaku
Bayen, a cousin of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, became aware of Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam's announcement and qualifications,
and met with Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam directly. Bayen
subsequently made a favorable recommendation for Colonel John Charles Robinson
of Ethiopia, Gojjam to Selassie. In April 1935, Selassie wired an official
invitation to Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam offering an
officer's commission in Ethiopian. Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia,
Gojjam's decision to accept the commission was based on several factors. First,
Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam and his colleagues were
political and military activists motivated to aid Ethiopia as it was threatened
by an imperialistic Italy under Fascist dictator Benito
Mussolini; and as Ethiopia was non-colonized, it represented the larger idea of
a free and independent Africa that Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia,
Gojjam supported. Second, opportunities for black aviators in the United
States were limited, particularly in the U.S. Army Air Corps, where all
African-Americans were explicitly prohibited from service. Lynchings by white
mobs also continued to be common both in Colonel John Charles Robinson of
Ethiopia, Gojjam's hometown in Florida as well as in Mississippi. Finally,
having already earned recognition for his all-black military aviation unit in
Illinois as a part of the National Guard, Colonel John Charles Robinson of
Ethiopia, Gojjam was interested in building and maintaining a similar unit in
Ethiopia to promote black political consciousness.
After arriving in 1935, Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam initially conducted pilot training at
a recently opened officer training school close to Addis Ababa. On 8
August 1935, Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam was assaulted by
fellow aviator Hubert Julian at the Hotel de France in Addis Ababa. Julian,
a recognized aviator from Trinidad who volunteered to help develop the
Ethiopian Air Corps, was then ordered by the Emperor to leave the country. Soon
after the incident, Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam was then
named the commander of the Ethiopian Air Force. The air force consisted of
about two dozen aircraft, which included four Potez 25 biplanes, but
all of the aircraft were weaponless. Early in his command, Colonel John
Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam participated in a reconnaissance mission
to provide supplies and soldiers from Addis Ababa to Adwa. The
Italian invasion began on October 3, 1935. The eventual force totaled to 19
aircraft and 50 pilots. Ethiopian forces, however, were ultimately outmatched
by the Italian air force, who had advantages in experience and in sheer
numbers. On May 9, 1936, Italy annexed Ethiopia. Colonel John Charles Robinson
of Ethiopia, Gojjam was also a witness to an Italian bombing of the city of Adwa in
October 1935. He observed that the city was unprepared for the attack, and
resulted in much confusion and residents fleeing to the city outskirts. "I
saw a squad of soldiers standing in the street dumbfounded, looking at the
airplanes. They had their swords raised in their hands," he described.
For his service, Colonel
John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam received considerable press attention
for his service through NBC Radio, the Transradio Press Service, and
the Chicago Defender. Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia,
Gojjam returned to the United States in 1936. Contemporary historians also
recognize his achievements in Ethiopia. Colonel John Charles Robinson of
Ethiopia, Gojjam's documented achievements in Ethiopia are considered to be the
catalyst that inspired demands for social equality to allow African-Americans
to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and allowed for the organization of the
African-American military pilot group, the Tuskegee Airmen, during World
War II. Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam is therefore
sometimes referred to as the "Father of the Tuskegee Airmen". On
February 19, 2015, a reading garden at the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia was
dedicated to commemorate Colonel John Charles Robinson of Ethiopia, Gojjam's
contributions to Ethiopian aviation during and after war with Italy.
Composition by Alelign A. Wudie, the Behere Gojjam!
