The film based on the Tuskeegee Airmen hits theaters this

weekend. Will you witness history this Friday?

The struggle for African- American actors to become main stream is something that has gone unnoticed, until now. Red Tails, a movie directed and financed by George Lucas, is finally making its debut this weekend and has stirred major issues that African American movies and the actors that play in them experience.

There are a few African- American actors that have made a name for themselves in Hollywood. Terrance Howard, Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx are a few.

Even though there are some black actors that are displayed in predominantly white films, most African Americans are trapped in the never ending cycle of low-budget movies.

Most weekends, a person can catch them on BET and they are indeed low-budget and display the typical stereotype of African-Americans males: in jail, in a gang, or with a lot of women. Most of these movies hardly ever make it into theaters.

This is the problem that Lucas has stressed to the community.

African-American actors will never make a big name in Hollywood because they are stuck in the low-budget movies that no one will finance.

There are not a lot of African- American movies out, aside from the typical story line Tyler Perry movies, because it is believed to be money wasted and not grossed in the end.

No one wants to pay their money to see the typical African- American movies anymore and that’s why it’s so hard for African American male actors to make a name for themselves.

Amazing movies like Red Tails could be a failure because no one will support it. This is the problem that Lucas has brought to light.

People always stress the importance of being at a Historically Black College or University and what we owe our race. Even though people get tired of hearing this, issues like these are why it needs to be stressed more.

As a HBCU, we need to support movies like these that struggled to be financed because it was an all-black cast. We need to go see movies like these to help African American male actors to make a name for themselves.

We also need to see movies like these because it’s something that displays our past struggles and what our ancestors had to experience to progress.

Even though African Americans can attend an HBCU, that doesn’t mean they know their history.

I urge all students to support the Black Arts. George Lucas emphasized that struggle that African American movies and actors face and action needs to be enforced.

This is something that shows our progression and what these influential Tuskegee Airmen have done to pave the way for today.

George Lucas worked for twenty-three years to display this story and there is no reason why students should not be able to spend $10 to go see it.

This is the first step for seeing more African American movies and actors in our theaters.

Some interesting facts many may not know with involving this movie, is how it was a struggle to find funding for this film. The producers Rick McCallum, Charles Floyd Johnson and George Lucas had to come up with the money for the movies themselves.

Also, many may not know that “Boondocks” creator Aaron McGruder was also involved with the making of this movie.

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• Necole Jackson, Register Reporter