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There Was a Black Co-pilot on 9/11

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Editor’s Note: One of our most popular stories features Leroy Homer, the co-pilot on Flight 93 from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco on September 11, 2001. Few Americans knew the co-pilot was Black. Today, we remember Leroy Homer and all of the other Americans who lost their lives.

It was one of those crystal-clear mornings that seemed to promise only good things. Americans rushed into it going to work, the airport, the places they went every day. But, out of nowhere, a stunning attack that threated to wipe out symbols of American security and stability.

Captain Leroy Wilton Homer, Jr. worked for United Airlines. He had been flying planes since the age of 16, graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, and as a commercial pilot his assignment that day was Flight 93 from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco.

“Leroy became a part of everything that happened,” says Pauline Smith, executive director of the Leroy Wilton Homer, Jr. Foundation. “He took it upon himself once he realized there were terrorists, he jammed up the flight controls so they were not able to take over the plane. It was such an heroic act.”

The heroism of the seven-member crew and its 33 passengers is widely known. Their jet barreled toward the U.S. Capitol as passengers and crew battled the terrorists.  They had heard about the earlier attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. When they realized the plan for their plane, they fought for their lives and the lives of those who had been marked for death in the al-Qaeda plot unfolding that September morning. Their bravery ended in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Leroy Homer’s widow, Melodie, wrote the book.From Where I Stand, on the 10-year anniversary of the attacks. Smith says, “In Melodie’s book she outlines everything on September 11th, and everything that has happened since that time. She has taken her grief and turned it into something positive.”

One of the ways Melodie Homer keeps her husband’s memory alive is through the foundation named for him. The Leroy Wilton Homer, Jr. Foundation awards scholarships to aspiring pilots. Applicants must be 16-23 years old and wish to pursue and obtain a private pilot’s license. Smith describes the application process as “pretty intense” with an emphasis on good grades and community service.

Members of the foundation will spend this anniversary much like they have spent others. They give speeches about the man they admired and the nation he served. “It’s hard every year, “ says Smith.  But, she adds, “We all need to remember what people like Leroy, pilot Jason Dahl, and the other crew members did…they sacrificed themselves to protect the nation.”

Black History

Trump Signs Executive Orders That Will Impact HBCUs and Black Schoolchildren

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and establish a White House Initiative on HBCUs to “deliver high-quality education to a growing number of students.”

According to the White House, the Initiative will help develop private-sector partnerships, institutional development and workforce preparation in technology, health care, manufacturing and finance. 

The president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Harry L. Williams said, “Today’s executive order serves as strong reaffirmation of President Trump’s support of investment of historically Black colleges and universities. This executive order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, members of Congress and state lawmakers to redouble their efforts to support HBCUs and their students. TMCF looks forward to continued engagement with the administration and Congress to deliver results for HBCUs and the students they serve via appropriations and other legislative actions.”

On the same day, Trump signed another executive order that removes safeguards for African American schoolchildren by eliminating an Obama-era initiative to protect Black schoolchildren from excessive disciplinary action.

During the Obama administration, the first Black president’s administration created guidelines that sought to prevent school discipline from having a disproportionate effect on minority students. Trump revoked the civil rights initiative during his first term and Biden did not formally restore it. 

At his signing today, Trump said his decision was especially important to the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who held the signed order.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, schools were forced to consider equity and inclusion when imposing discipline,” McMahon said in a statement. “Their policies placed racial equity quotas over student safety – encouraging schools to turn a blind eye to poor or violent behavior in the name of inclusion.”

She added, “Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.

Studies show that Black students are punished more often than their white counterparts.

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President Jimmy Carter Appointed the First Black Woman to Lead a Federal Agency

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President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life,
advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his
death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of
Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White
House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that
changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.


Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose
Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in
1977.


Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not
considered before.”


Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.


The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.


Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.


“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”


President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty,
compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice

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Black History

The Congressional Black Caucus Prepares for “Important” Work

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The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.

“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.

Photo Credit: Ron Busby, U.S. Black Chambers Inc.

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