Bessie Coleman

1893-1926

African American Pilot

The first African-American female pilot, Bessie Coleman's aviation achievements demonstrated that women and blacks were capable of mastering flight. Her accomplishments also symbolized the potential of using technology for various applications. Although Coleman earned her pilot's license before Amelia Earhart (1898-1937), the latter was a better-known aviatrix in part because she was wealthy and white. During her brief career as a pilot, Coleman was a pioneer black barnstormer and stunt flyer, but her premature death in a plane crash resulted in her contributions to aviation remaining obscure.

Born on January 26, 1893, in Atlanta, Texas, Elizabeth Coleman, known as Bessie to her family and fans, was the daughter of share-croppers George and Susan Coleman. When George Coleman abandoned his family, Bessie Coleman helped her mother by harvesting cotton and washing and ironing laundry. Determined to improve her circumstances, Coleman voraciously read books written by influential African Americans, including Booker T. Washington. She completed high school and enrolled at Langston Industrial College, which she left after one semester because it was too expensive. In 1917 Coleman moved to Chicago, where two of her brothers lived.

Coleman ambitiously sought success, hoping to help minorities overcome racism and poverty by serving as an example of how to surmount such socioeconomic and cultural barriers. When her brother told her about French female pilots serving in World War I, Coleman focused on flying as the means to attain equality and to deliver her message. After reading numerous aviation books, Coleman attempted to enroll at several flying schools in 1919 and 1920 but was refused admission because she was an African American and a woman. Persistent, Bessie sought advice from Robert Abbott, founder of the Chicago Weekly Defender, an African-American newspaper. He suggested that she study French to prepare for sessions at a European flight school. Supplementing her income with money from philanthropist Jesse Binga, Coleman traveled to Le Crotoy, France, in November 1920 to practice at the Caudron Aircraft Manufacturing Company's flight school. She also took private lessons from a French war veteran.

Coleman earned a pilot's license in June 1921 from the Federation Aéronautique Internationale. She was the first African-American woman to receive an international pilot's license. She took advanced flying lessons in Germany and practiced acrobatic maneuvers. Confident in her piloting skills, Coleman left Europe. In the United States, she embarked on barnstorming tours. Her debut flight was at Curtiss Field on Long Island. Coleman also lectured to African-American audiences, emphasizing the opportunities that aviation offered and denouncing segregation. Her enthusiasm inspired crowds, who watched her perform risky stunts in the sky. Fearless and committed to publicizing aviation, Coleman first jumped from an airplane when a parachutist refused to perform. She conducted aerial advertising for the Coast Firestone Rubber Company. Coleman also raced airplanes and survived several crashes. Abbot dubbed Coleman "Queen Bess" because of her spectacular show-manship, which made her a celebrity featured in newsreels worldwide.

Coleman's primary goal was to establish a flight school in Los Angeles specifically for blacks. She increased the number of performances on her tours in order to finance her future school. During a test flight at Paxon Field in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 30, 1926, Coleman, who was not wearing a seatbelt or parachute, was killed when her plane plummeted to the earth. (A loose wrench had interfered with the controls.) Fellow pilot William J. Powell established a flying school as Coleman had envisioned for African-American pilots. Bessie Coleman Aero Clubs formed nationwide and Powell published the Bessie Coleman Aero News. These aviation clubs organized America's first all-black air show in 1931. Other memorials to Coleman have included a U.S. postage stamp issued in her honor and a branch of the Chicago Public Library named for her.

ELIZABETH D. SCHAFER