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Bennie McRae, Jr. is a native of Louisville, Alabama and served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War from August 1951 to July 1955. He retired in 1989 after 36 years of national service with the United States Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). After retiring, McRae visited numerous libraries, archives, and historic sites for the purpose of researching and documenting 19th century history focusing on United States Colored Troops and Contrabands in the Civil War, and Blacks in the regular Army on the western frontier. This interest resulted in the publishing of "Lest We Forget," a historical quarterly from 1992 until 1997. For the past twenty years, Bennie McRae has focused on researching the African American Military Experience and has been a frequent lecturer at various historical institutions on the subject of the Black Military Experience. Recently he served as a military consultant to two international television programs based on the African American military experience: "Black Soldier Blues," broadcast in 2005 on Australian television that documents African American soldiers serving in World War II southeast Asia, and this fall the BBC will broadcast its documentary on African American soldiers in World War II England. McRae is also the co-author of the book Nineteenth Century Freedom Fighters, centered on Lieutenant Colonel Charles Tyler Trowbridge, Commander of South Carolina's 33rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment scheduled for release in January 2007. In addition, he is committed to supporting educational program that include the history of the United States Colored Troops, and last but not least he is the owner and website manager of three popular worldwide internet websites: Lest We Forget, Making of the United States of America, and African American Military History. Source: Lest We Forget
Series topics range from the Montgomery bus boycott in 1954 to the Voting Rights Act in 1965; from community power in schools to "Black Power" in the streets; from early acts of individual courage through to the flowering of a mass movement and its eventual split into factions. When Eyes on the Prize premiered in 1987, The Los Angeles Times called it "an exhaustive documentary that shouldn't be missed." The series went on to win six Emmys and numerous other awards, including an Academy Award nomination, the George Foster Peabody Award, and the top duPont-Columbia award for excellence in broadcast journalism. Eyes on the Prize was created and executive produced by Henry Hampton (1940-1998), one of the most influential documentary filmmakers in the 20th century. His work chronicled America's great political and social movements and set new standards for broadcast quality. Blackside, the independent film and television company he founded in 1968, completed 60 major films and media projects that amplified the voices of the poor and disenfranchised. His enduring legacy continues to influence the field in the 21st century. Visit the series website for more information. Source: PBS: American Experience: Eyes on the Prize
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