caption serviceyears laterwork branch death_place death_date birth_place allegiance unit image_size battles birth_date placeofburial nickname rank image article_title name
robinson in ethiopian air force uniform 1935 -- 1944 ethiopian air lines imperial ethiopian air force addis ababa , ethiopia 8 april 1954 carrabelle , florida , u.s. united states of america 1896 ethiopia 1897 brown condor squadron 250 second campaign -rrb- italo-ethiopian war world war ii -lrb- east african 24 february 1903 gulele cemetery addis ababa , ethiopia the brown condor colonel john c robinson.png john robinson -lrb- aviator -rrb-
 john c. robinson
john robinson -lrb- aviator -rrb-

john charles robinson -lrb- august 24 , 1903 -- april 8 , 1954 -rrb- was an american aviator and activist who was hailed as the `` brown condor '' for his service in serving in the imperial ethiopian air force against fascist italy .
robinson pushed for equal opportunities for african-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 college , the tuskegee institute .
robinson 's achievements as an aviator were in stark contrast to the limited opportunities for most african-americans in aviation careers , and were an important factor in reducing racially-based prohibitions in the united states .
robinson 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 .
