Myles Christian Mitchom was eager to see "Red Tails," and figured he'd round up some friends to come along.
"I first started with my fraternity, asking if everyone was interested," said Mitchom, an alumni member of Kappa Alpha Psi. "We got a good response."
Word spread to the members of other National Pan-Hellenic Council alumni chapters in Atlanta, and in the end a group of 75 ended up viewing the movie together last week at the AMC Discover Mills in Gwinnett County.
"Knowing that we were doing our part to support the telling of a story that positively portrayed us as people who, in spite of how we were treated, still loved and fought for our country, was something to witness," Mitchom said. "Before, during and after the movie the atmosphere amongst us was nothing but electric."
“Red Tails,” the George Lucas film that tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, enjoyed a robust debut weekend, claiming the No. 2 spot by bringing in more than $19 million at the box office last weekend. The strong showing followed a push in numerous markets, including Atlanta, where Tuskegee Airmen attended advance screenings to reminisce and urge support for the film. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a group of Tuskegee Airmen at a private screening in the White House theater.
In movie theaters across metro Atlanta, group outings to a "Red Tails" screening have quickly become a shared experience. For Tuskegee University alumna and Delta Sigma Theta member Amber Akins, it was also a way to show school spirit.
"Seeing the movie was like going back to campus for homecoming," said Akins, who went with a group of 10 to see the movie last week at Regal Atlantic Station. Afterward, the group went out for drinks to discuss the film and reconnect.
"Our school has a lot of school pride," Akins said. "We pride ourselves on connections. You never know how many alumni are around you until you get together for an event like this."
Claude Gatlin and nine of his fellow Kappa Alpha Psi members turned the movie into a teachable moment for the group of 25 middle and high school boys they mentor through the Kappa League program.
"They learned a lot," said Gatlin, whose group took in the movie at the AMC Southlake 24 in Morrow. After the movie the group discussed the history and the character of the pilots portrayed on the big screen.
"One thing they loved about it is they weren’t just looking out for themselves," he said. "They were looking out for those behind them."
Attending en masse made a statement to other theater patrons, he said.
"It was meaningful because it drew more attention to us," he said. "Parents wanted to know about our group."
Like many people interviewed, Gatlin enjoyed the film but was left wanting more.
"The only thing I wished is that it would have fallen back a little bit," he said. "I was hoping it wouldn’t just show them in the airplane, but them training."
Tiffany Bolen, who saw "Red Tails" with a group of women at the AMC Parkway Point in Cobb County, also left the theater thinking the story seemed incomplete, but was glad to view it on the big screen nonetheless.
"It was an action-packed entertaining view of the Tuskegee Airmen," said Bolen, noting the theater was so packed that one friend in her group opted to forgo the movie. "I left feeling with a great sense of gratitude for these American heroes. I wish there was more recognition for them while more of them were alive."
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