>> good morning, everyone. welcome to urban update. i'm byron barnett. on the show today, two programs doing great things with the youth of boston. and then we will professional body-builder who works with our seniors, keeping them fit and strong. but up first, the 75th anniversary of the formation of the famed tuskegee airmen. they were the first african-american military aviators in the united states armed force, called into action during world war ii. the primary mission of those fighter pilots was to protect american bombers in the skies. at first, many questioned

could succeed as aviators. but they proved to be so good at their job that by the end of the war, their services were in high demand by white bomber pilots. while serving in a segregated military, these brave and historic pilots and their support teams fought farb itch abroad and racism at home. i recently had the honor of participating in the celebration of the tuskegee airmen at umass-boston. among the airmen honored that the event were fighter pilots george hardy both men served in world war ii,, korea, and vietnam. charles mcgee hold it is u.s. air force record for most combat fight permissions ever flown. 409. both men now in their 90's, are part of a dwindling group of tuskegee airmen. here is part of my conversation with two of america's best.

i tried to figure out what to do. by the time 1942 came, i knew i wanted to fly. the initial guys were college graduates, say. as the years went on, several years, they reduced to that high school graduates. they needed more pilots. more and more pilots. they gave us this five months of college training. in my group, they cut it to three months. went into pilot training. and it was rigorous. but we made it. >> elearned around... i learned about the the flying opportunity. because the a mechanics before they would have a black pilot. so i went and took the exams and passed them. i went in the service with two years of college training. >> what can you tell me about the mission that is you flew? >> i flew in 1945. in march and april. i was 19 then flying over there. 19 years old. flying as a wingman. yeah. we would fly, escorting the bombers. if your mission wasn't too

mission, we would go down in straight targets of opportunity. just to destroy any of the german things on the ground. you know. and i learned one thing. you get to the ground, they shoot back at you quite often. that was the only time i was hit in one of those missions. >> i understand that by the end of the war, a lot of bomber pilots were asking for the tuskegee airmen. why was that? under the leadership that we had, he said our job was stibing with the bombers to protect lives and they begin to realize that we didn't go happy hunting, as we called it to get a victory: if a bomber tried to penetrate the bomber formation, we stayed with the bombers. we didn't go off and leave them to somebody else.

spread. they knew the red-tails would give them support and stick with them. >> you have the record for fight permissions in the entire air force. >> my record is with one hundred or more combat missions in three wars, world war ii, korea, vietnam. >> how many total in. >> 409 missions. you see, that is another thing about segregation. many of the army policies didn't apply to us. out of the combat with 50 missions. i have 136 before replacement came over to europe. >> tell me about the challenges of fighting fascism abros and racism at home. . >> well, that was part of the thing the pittsburgh courier newspapers... it came up that we were in a double v program. victor against hitler in europe. and victor against racism here at home.

country and not looking at civil rights, if you will. it turned out to be an important step. because our performance dispelled biases and generallizations, and in some cases, racism. a part of new policy. >> we had to look inward to each other. i think that gave us inner strength. knowing that we, as a group, we stick together. >> how proud were you to be a tuskegee >> well, to serve our country and have the opportunity 20 go do something even though we were segregated, it was still a good feeling. and the camaraderie that we developed, even in the segregated environment, lifelong friendships came out of it. >> what advice do you have for young people today? >> well, the value lesson, to preserve the freedoms that we

them to repeats what we had to go through. they need to understand it. and of course, one of the biggest part of the value lessons is perseverance. don't let the circumstances be an excuse for not achieving. we could have bowed our head and gone off and said they don't like me. they don't want me. we wouldn't have accomplished what coming together did. >> two of america's best right there. okay. when we come back, a look at programs helping the youth of boston as well as information on keeping our seniors fit and stronger than ever. all this coming up right here on urban update. at blue cross blue shield of massachusetts, we offer a variety of medicare plans to fit your budget and your lifestyle. with plans starting as low as $0,

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serving the boston community by engaging and inspiring individuals through the art of dance and movement. the company is dedicated to providing provocative and musically stimulating performances for diverse audiences of all ages. last week, their most recent project called call of courage, incorporated stories by massachusetts sixth graders to depict perseverance and resilience in the face of discrimination and bullying. to tell us more about the vision invited alison merrill. the director of education for urbanty dance. welcome to urban update. thanks for coming in alison. >> thank you so much for having us today. >> well, this sounds really great. how do you describe you are been aty to folks who know nothing about snits. >> a contemporary dance company composed of three pillars. we have a professional contemporary dance company that performs throughout the greater boston area.

that serve it is south end in boston. we have over 300 students there. and then we are also a community organization. and we partner with 50-plus organizations throughout the greater boston area. >> wow. talk to me about your overall mission. what would you say that is? >> yeah. so. >> we believe that dance has the power to heal and inspire. our overall work is aimed at empowering, inspiring individuals as well as and communities through the arts of and through the art of movement. >> well, now, can you talk about the three pillars of school community and company and how they connect in. >> yes. our company was founded by our director. we have eight full-time professional dancers that work under her direction. to stage various contemporary work. our school is in the south end. and we have over 20-plus

and some are company members. some are professional dancers. and then our community pillar, we have three ongoing programs. we have urban enroll dance that we implement in boston public schools. and we see about 500 students weekly through that program. and the mission behind that is really to help students connect and become more aware of world dance styles and urban dance styles. we have another program, dance with parkinson's disease. and uses dance as a form of therapy. and a form of healing. to bring them together. then our third program is movement. we work through people who have gone through extremely difficult times. and use dance to help them find a voice. >> wow. you get around there. how do you describe the students at your school? >> our students are amazing.

are six months old all the way up through adult students. and our students are eager to learn. they are loving. they are caring. and most of all, they love expressing themselves. through dance. >> wow. now, you just performed a new show at the strand theater this past friday. can you tell us a little bit about what that project is all about? >> yeah. it was amazing. this past friday. we had well over a thousand students from boston public schools. the event was sponsored by mayor's office. and we were able to offer free admission. the idea behind this show is we were in partnership with the max warburg curriculum and ryan edwards, our musician. what they did is they composed eight stories written by middle school students that talked about bullying and the standard effect and how we find courage every day through small acts. the most compelling part of

we had a student discussion panel. led by two students within our community. we had our outward bound-program and we had a discussion to help the students digest what they had just seen and to approach it from a stance of positivity. >> wow. tell me wuj of your success kids. >> two of our students that are performing alongside our professional company members are two students from our community programs ifst are engaged in our program through scholarships. so we are just so happy to see how they have transformed as dancers. and that we can provide them this wonderful opportunity. >> how can anyone get involved? you have scholarships available? >> yeah. we have scholarships. we believe that everyone should have access to dance. and dance classes. so we are committed to having people come and take class at our studio. anyone can get involved. whether it's through our community programs, you can visit our web site, to learn

>> at urbantydance.org. >> or take classes and engage in our perhaps. . >> what about the future shows, et cetera? >> we hope to see call of courage develop into a show that we take around the country. we look at companies performing and celebra victoria and members from the parkinson's community and boston public schools to participate in their performance. >> wow. that sounds really amazing. sounds like off great thing going there. alison merrill, thanks for coming. in good luck. . >> thank you for having me. >> all right. okay. coming up next, giving boston school students a rehearsal for life.

>> have you ever wished you could have hadded a rehearsal for life? here in boston, there is an interactive program for young people f that uses heats ther work sthops teach violence

decision-making. the program is called urban improv. and a staff of professional actors, educators, lead interactive workshops that offer students the opportunity to explore their own solutions to challenging real-life situations. it's a truly rehearsal for life. to tell us more about the work being done with boston school students, we have invited urban improv actors and educators merrill perkins and zack stewart. welcome to urban u merrill, let me start with you. take me through it. how this all works. >> well, the kids come into the room. usually, it is a classroom of somewhere between 15-25 students. they come in. and there are five actor educators there. we take turns performing. a scene for them. we sing a song. a song... something like "use

it's fighting the only answer" and then we talk about the issue. violence prevention and trying to think about alternatives when you are in a conflict. to actually going to violence. >> zack, who benefits from this program? in your view? >> so we work with a number of boston public schools. we have partnered with them. we are mainly based in the roxbury aa. dorchester, and roxbury. we also go out across the state to other schools. and we can tailor-make a scene about an issue that any school is working on. we can come to you and sort of give you a workshop and in response to something your community is dealing with. so we see a number of boston public schools fns. we also see kids all across the state sort of... a lot of

bullying. we will focus in more into urban issues that some kids are dealing with as well. in the boston public schools. >> wow. merrill, give us perspective on all of us here. how many kids... tell me how your kids have benefited from this. in your view. >> well... >> what impact it has had. what you have seen over the years. >> yeah. i mean, we have seen and heard from students teachers that, you know, kids have been really responding to the work that we have done with them. they know that even in classroom situations, teachers have seen the impact. kids might be able to work better together. a lot of what we do is kind of having them come and really

become more connected to the people around them. and able to relate to other people. better. we have had what evaluations done. professional evaluations done. where they have seen that 90-93% of the students have talked about and have written that they have bee >> wow. now, i'm guessing with the crazy election we just went through that you or have addressed some issues that played out during this heated campaign. a lot of kids were talking about it. did any of that come up at all? are you planning to see it come up? >> no. it has definitely come up. through the whole fall, actually. you know, we talk about issues around... i mean, our main

dialogue. the question came up in this campaign, how much respect is happening in these dialogues. and you know, what are we modeling for our kids? they talked about it. a lot of the topics we talk about came up in this erection. issues around racism. homophobia. all of thisms really. sexism. we talk about that directly with our kids. we talk about, you know, how our leaders are modeling those behaviors. it became a big topic of our kids. they were very anxious, expressing anxiety. the space that we created, you know, we focus on respectful dialogue. it ended up being a space where people are able to feel safe to express concerns. and let out some of the steam. but also reflect on these broader issues and how they want to see them in their own community. >> merrill, how do you go about selecting topics and issues in. >> well, it is whatever seems

the media. that is one way. we ask students what they are interested in and what their topics are. we look around our own homes. because qs some of us are parents. we have asked teachers. and it all sort of comes together. i mean, some of the issues that we have been working on change over the years. >> i guess to wrap things up. i guess, what are you looking >> well, i mean, for instance, if there is sort of an issue where people... where kids are really anxious and there are a lot of nerves out there, a lot of times, what we do is we are all sorts of exercises that help them be more mindful. and to relax. >> again, what do you want your kids to take away from

>> the biggest impact is kids deciding what they believe. understanding what they want to stand up for. and to walk out of our class and be, like, i know how i want to express myself. how i want to be a citizen. so we are really proud of that after 25 years. and we will be celebrating that at our fund-raiser in boston this spring. our 25th anniversary. check outous urban.org. >> good luck with urban improv. okay. well, we have been talking about youth. up next, we will talk about our seniors. we will introduce you to a couple of them who say they can do more push-ups than me and probably you throughout, too. coming up right here on urban

>> her talks and demonstrations emphasize ways to increase core legs and upper body strength. and to help older people. her classes are almost always full. classes for senio several who are over 90, and others who are even close to 100 years young. this morning, she joins us as well as two of her participants. let's now welcome pro body builder instructor sharon fillia. joined by two of her advanced fall prevention participants. pat morris and eva preto. welcome, ladies. thanks for coming. in wow. this is an interesting topic. for sure. before we begin, you are a

>> yes, simplt. >> you have your own syndicated show. >> yes. it is produced in malden. syndicated in boston. wellesley, cambridge. revere. i'm all over. but what my love is is senior fitness and a big thank you to mayor gary christianson of malden and also the executive director of the malden senior center. who actually really, really o also allowed me to really develop the program. . >> now, what made you want to work with seniors? >> well, i have taught executives. i have taught all different demographics. but the fortitude that they have, they are smart. as i mentioned, you know, before we got started, you know, when i hear stories about someone who served on

someone who served at pearl harbor, someone who showed me their number tattoo from the holocaust, these are experiences that conditions be equaled. >> wow. now, pat, let's talk about with you a little built here. talk to me about your workouts and normally, i wouldn't ask this. but can i ask how old you are? >> i'm 80. >> you are 80 years old. well, now, tell me about these workouts that you have. are they rigorous? >> very. sharon is an excellent teacher she pushes us to muffle failure. and then a little beyond. >> wow. (laughter) >> but she makes it pleasant. the class is a very diverse class. it is sump a warm group of women. so many different nationalities. they are very easy to get along with. and they are not competitive. but they try to help each other and sharon guides us. and she, she goes along and

trainer. she will come up to you and she will adjust you. i mean, other places you go and you just continue doing it the wrong way. she watches your form. which is so important. >> well, what is your favorite exercise in. >> i do like the... there is one i like. >> we do 200-250 thigh movements per class. in my regular classes, at least 100. we do it over and over again. >> eva, what about you? again, now, you are a little bit younger. >> yeah. i'm 60. >> oh, you are just a kid. you are just a kid. talk to me about how you got into working out with sharon and what kind of exercises you

senior senter for my friend. >> i do push-ups. i try do push-ups. >> how many can you do? >> sometimes i do 20. sometimes i do 18. it depends. >> whoa. wow. that is pretty good. sharon, i guess how do you.. the seniors? i mean, it is a lot of fun, obviously. a lot of work and everything. but there is a serious part of. this i think i mentioned in the beginning. that this is one of the things you are concerned about. you know, the falling. it is a serious threat for anyone who is in advanced years. >> yes. well, this class that i have developed is a very special template. i mean, it is after my grandmother. the rose ball prevention program. so what it is, it focuses on

in addition to... i guess some viewers might not know what those muscles are. these muscles are essential for balance. i believe the cdc said that over 31 billion dollars per year is spent in medical expenses for falls. so doing a program like this can really help. >> okay. now, i know we have a video. a couple minutes left here. maybe we can roll the video of your shoulder while we continue talking. pat, i guess, are you in better shape sharon's exercises? >>est, absolutely. about two weeks ago, i went to the homecoming. the dartmouth-harvard game. the baker tower was open. i was able to climb up 7 flights of stairs straight up like a ladder. my grandchildren were so worried. you are not going to be abling to do. this be careful. >> i guess you showed them. >> you can go to football games and not be worried about getting up the stairs of the stadium.

to do things. >> wow. eva, what about you? how has this helped your life? >> it is helping me because it is very challenging to me. i like to be challenged. >> i have so many more questions. we have to wrap things up. how can people get more information. >> you can reach me at fitness. my twitter handle. and there is a link to my video on demand. find out all about the glasses. >> okay. all right. eva, someone told me you are as strong as your kids. >> yes. >> are you really? >> yeah. my kids are really strong. >> okay. well, that is it. eva and pat and sharon, thank you all for coming. in congratulations. keep up the good work. okay. well, that is its for this edition of urban update. i'm byron barnett. for all of us here at urban

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