The museum located at Windsor Hills Math, Science, and Aerospace Magnet campus continues to inspire young minds to fly.
The Hefflin Legacy Foundation recently celebrated the 12th anniversary of the Black Wings Children’s Museum at the Windsor Hills Math, Science, and Aerospace Magnet campus. The museum opened on the same day the Space Shuttle was brought to Los Angeles, and the foundation has been supporting its development ever since.
“I woke up this morning in tears realizing, 12 years, this museum is still standing,” said Deborah Swan, administrator and president of the Heflin Legacy Foundation, and founder of the Black Wings Museum at the Windsor Hills campus.
“That’s quite an achievement and I’m very, very proud of that achievement.”
Related Stories:
https://lasentinel.net/grammy-museum-celebrates-little-richard-with-special-screening.html
https://lasentinel.net/compton-art-history-museum-shines-light-on-self-discovery.html
Swan got the idea from African American pilot, engineer, and entrepreneur William J. Powell’s book “Black Wings.”
“He was really instrumental in trying to encourage young people to want to fly,” said Swan, who shared that she has also received the highest award in the nation from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. A trip to Washington D.C. for a gala and tour at the Smithsonian were included, where she saw an exhibit for Black Wings, but she remains partial to the Windsor Hill’s museum.
“This is more impressive than what they have at the Smithsonian,” said Swan. “I’m very, very proud of this museum.”
She continued, “I just love it, I just love it, to me, this is important, that’s why I give back.”
The event in the last two years has welcomed African American pilots as guest speakers. This year, they had two female African American pilots, and a captain speak to the students. They shared what it was like talking to the youth about becoming pilots.
“It was outstanding,” said Mario Ecung, a retired United Airlines captain. “This is what we live to do, to inspire the next generation because we all stood on someone’s shoulders to get to where we are.
“We always look to pass it forward.”
“They were exciting, I really enjoy talking to the kids and inspiring them to be the next generation of pilots because we need them,” said Tanesha Wallace, first officer for Delta Airlines. “We need them to fill those roles, fill those spots because so many pilots are retiring at this point.”
“It was a lot of fun,” said Kennedy McIntosh, a commercial pilot, currently in general aviation. “They were all so interested in aviation.”
Kennedy continued, “I feel like it was something that wasn’t as talked about, the opportunity of being a pilot so, it was really exciting to see how many questions they had and to know how many are really interested in going into aviation whether that is as a pilot or as an aerospace engineer or just in the field.
“It kind of gives me hope especially because the industry is less than 3% African American or people of color so, it’s really nice to see all those interested individuals wanting to be pilots.”
The Black Wings Children’s Museum features information on Black astronauts and pilots, artwork and two flight simulators. The Hefflin Legacy Foundation aims to raise $20,000 to sustain their theme, “Take Flight, Soar High,” and organize events for students of all grades focused on science, math, and aerospace activities.
The activities will lead up to their annual celebration, which is open to the public. The funds raised last year helped to establish a partnership with the National Science Teaching Association, and they hope to foster more meaningful relationships with other organizations.
The following week, students will participate in Kite Days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, where they will all fly kites in the continued celebration of the museum. Christopher Keith Heim is the principal at the Windsor Hills Magnet and loves how these events inspire his students.
“It just lets me know that my vision is being capitalized on and that we’re slowly but surely changing the mindset of our students and letting them know that they too could become pilots no matter what their gender,” said Heim.
“As a child, I wanted to be a pilot growing up in the South, but unfortunately, at the time, they were saying you needed perfect vision and I had an unfortunate incident that I now wear glasses.
“That dream was taken away, but that passion still is there and so, why not just create that passion for my students?”
For more information on the Hefflin Legacy Foundation, please visit HefflinLegacyFoundation.com
