Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman
Coleman in 1923
Born(1892-01-26)January 26, 1892
Atlanta, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 30, 1926(1926-04-30) (aged 34)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Cause of deathPlane crash
Burial placeLincoln Cemetery, Cook County, Illinois
Known forFirst African-American and Native American female aviator
Spouse
Claude Glenn
​
​
(m. 1917, separated soon after[1])​

Elizabeth Coleman (January 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926)[2] was an early American civil aviator. She was the first African-American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot license,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] and is the earliest known Black person to earn an international pilot's license.[10] She earned her license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale on June 15, 1921.[5][6][11]

Born to a family of sharecroppers in Texas, Coleman worked in the cotton fields at a young age while also studying in a small segregated school. She attended one term of college at Langston University. Coleman developed an early interest in flying, but African Americans, Native Americans, and women had no flight training opportunities in the United States, so she saved and obtained sponsorships in Chicago to go to France for flight school.

She then became a high-profile pilot in notoriously dangerous air shows in the United States. She was popularly known as "Queen Bess" and "Brave Bessie",[12] and hoped to start a school for African-American fliers. Coleman died in a plane crash in 1926. Her pioneering role was an inspiration to early pilots and to the African-American and Native American communities.

  1. ^ Roni Morales (November 1, 2014). "Bessie Coleman – Aviator". Rootsweb. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "Bessie Coleman | American aviator". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  3. ^ "O'Hare display honors 1st African American, Native American to earn international pilot's license". abc7chicago.com. July 30, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  4. ^ "Bessie Coleman (1892–1926)". PBS.org. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Some Notable Women In Aviation History". Women in Aviation International. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
  6. ^ a b Onkst, David H. (2016). "Women in History: Bessie Coleman". Natural Resources Conservation Service Nevada. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  7. ^ "Fighter pilot takes inspiration to new heights". U.S. Air Force. March 28, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  8. ^ "Indigenous Connections and Collections Library Blog – Bessie Coleman Aerospace Legacy". Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. November 7, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  9. ^ Alexander, Kerri Lee (2022). "Bessie Coleman (1892–1926)". National Women's History Museum. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Pioneer Hall of Fame". Women in Aviation International. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
  12. ^ "Bessie Coleman". National Women's History Museum. Retrieved September 12, 2019.