"Red Tails, " the drama about the Tuskegee Airmen, was honored as outstanding motion picture.

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His recent movie Red Tails is a perfect example of that.

FORBES: George Lucas and The Problem With Hollywood

The reasons cited by the studios for turning down Red Tails are based on long standing beliefs that Hollywood has held for more than 2 decades.

FORBES: George Lucas and The Problem With Hollywood

He won an Academy Award in 1997 for best supporting actor in the film "Jerry Maguire" and starred in this year's "Red Tails, " about the Tuskegee Airmen.

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Having spent 23 years trying to get Red Tails made, he was turned away by every major studio and ultimately spent his own money to make the film right down to paying for the prints that are delivered to the theaters.

FORBES: George Lucas and The Problem With Hollywood

The 23 year battle to make Red Tails for the big screen either demonstrates an unwillingness to take risks to discover new markets or it shows that Hollywood still has a streak of racism which brings me to the point of this article.

FORBES: George Lucas and The Problem With Hollywood

As in life, the good and bad make us who we are and what Red Tails teaches us as Americans, is that even our ugly past of racism is part of what makes us great because, getting past racism by allowing the Tuskegee Airman to fly is what makes us proud.

FORBES: George Lucas and The Problem With Hollywood