Bessie Coleman - First African, Native American Aviator
Bessie Coleman, a beautiful "fly" brown-skinned woman earned her pilot's license in 1921 in France, two years before her more famous contemporary, Amelia Earhart. Denied admission to American aviation schools…
Bessie Coleman - An American Legacy
Bessie Coleman, a beautiful "fly" brown-skinned woman earned her pilot's license in 1921 in France, two years before her more famous contemporary, Amelia Earhart. Denied admission to American aviation schools because of her race and gender, she learned French and went to France. On June 15, 1921 she received her pilot's license from the highly respected Federation Aeronautique International, becoming the first American to earn this international pilot's license in France.
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Bessie Queen Coleman - A Place Among The Clouds
It is just a little more than 120 years since the dream of flying among the clouds lifted the first plane into the air. 180 feet for only 12 seconds of flight. And just 20 years later a remarkable visionary, Bessie Coleman, a woman of African and Native American descent, would rise above her gender, her class and her race to join the ranks of the First Females of Flight. Bessie Queen Coleman had to break through several real, yet invisible boundaries to reach escape velocity. Please consider that today, although boundaries still exist, so many women, people of color are frequently soaring above those boundaries to achieve success in many fields. And yet most of us, like myself, do not know on whose shoulders we stand. That is only because too many wonderful stories stay hidden.
Well, I am here to shine a light on some of our unknown heroes and heroines.
So, let me tell you a story. A story about Bessie Coleman, one of the most remarkable female pioneers you may not know.
Bessie grew up in Chicago in a family of thirteen children. During the first great war, her brothers returned as veterans to tell stories about what they had seen in that European Theater. They teased their younger sister about how they had seen women in many new roles, even as high-flying pilots. "So sis, we can see you are a great manicurist. But what, if anything, will you do?" There may be nothing more motivating than a sibling rivalry. And hearing about female pilots was probably like imagining that there would someday be astronauts on the moon. Black female pilots? Truly, in 1918 it must have sounded like a science fiction fantasy, better reserved for bedtime stories. After all, it had been only one year before that Eugene Bullard, an African American, became the first black pilot to serve during World War I. And he had to volunteer to join the French Air Force to get his chance to fly.
Who knows what mental gymnastics Bessie must have performed to rise above the limitations of her time. By the time she was eighteen, she saved enough money to attend the Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now Langston University) in Langston, Oklahoma.
Challenged by her brothers, she dared to investigate additional opportunities only to find that there was not one flight school in the U.S. accepting women. At that moment in history, the only school in the world accepting women was the Caudron Brothers' School of Aviation. It was in Le Crotoy, France. Not to be discouraged, Bessie began her journey by attending night school to learn to speak and read French. Inspired by her tenacity Robert Abbott, lawyer, newspaper publisher, founder of the Chicago Defender, encouraged her to make her way to France to attend flight school.
In June of 1921 she received her pilot's license that was issued by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Bessie Coleman received her Right to fly just one year to-the-month after congress had ratified the 19th amendment, granting women the Right to Vote. But like Eugene Bullard, she had to go to France to earn that right to fly.
Her career as a pilot, although remarkable even during her time, was brief. Returning to the United States, she raised money to build her first plane. She became a barnstormer, demonstrating aerial acrobatic feats. From loop de loops to figure eights, crowds were wowed by her daring performances.
Not only a pioneer of flight, Bessie is also known as an advocate for civil rights. Leveraging her notoriety she once refused to perform at a large Texas Air Show because they were making two separate entrances, one for blacks, one for whites. Although seated in separate sections, Bessie insisted that the show managers establish one entrance for everyone. The managers agreed. Thank you Bessie for insisting on one small, yet significant step toward equal rights.
At the young age of 34, Bessie Queen Coleman died doing what she loved to do, soaring above the clouds. To this day there are flying clubs and monuments that celebrate her remarkable feats. When you enter the Oakland International Airport, you will cross Bessie Coleman Drive. In the Smithsonian and many lesser known museums, there is a growing recognition of her accomplishments.
We know much about the plight of our people and not enough about their flight. So, let's celebrate a young, black, native American woman who knew no boundaries. By her feats of courage and perseverance, she challenges all of us to face the headwinds of our lives, to rise above our boundaries.
I stepped on the nail, the nail bent and that's the way the story went.
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Here is Bessie’s story told by Alyce Smith Cooper.
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