Talkin' About Bessie by Nikki Grimes
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Day 03: Bessie Coleman
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When Dr. Mae Jemison became the first woman of color to leave Earth, she carried with her a photograph of Bessie Coleman. The first flight school for Black Americans was named The Bessie Coleman Aero Club. In Chicago, May 2, 1992 was declared Bessie Coleman Day. When she died, thousands of mourners paid tribute to Bessie Coleman at her funeral. Bessie Coleman moved, inspired, and entertained countless people.
Born on January 26, 1892, Coleman spent her childhood in Waxahachie, Texas, where her parents were sharecroppers. Though she attended the Colored Agricultural and Normal University in Langston, Oklahoma, she couldn't afford to complete her degree. Coleman moved in with her older brothers in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 23. She was hoping to find work and "amount to something." Soon Coleman became interested in the planes being used during WWI and the freedom that "fly girls" seemed to enjoy. Being a woman of Black and Cherokee descent, she couldn't find any flight school in the United States to train her. After learning French and securing the funding, she was able to attend the Ecole d'Aviation des Freres Caudon at Le Crotoy. Coleman completed the 10-month course in 7 months and received her pilot's license on June 15, 1921.
Coleman obtained additional training throughout Europe, this time learning how to fly as entertainment. When she returned to the United States in 1922 she began putting on sponsored flight shows. In addition to these exhibition flights, Coleman gave lectures in both major cities and small towns. As her fan-base grew, so did her aspirations: Coleman was raising money to start her own flight school. Her dream was to found a school that would train anyone, including women of color. Unfortunately Coleman died in 1926 due to a malfunction on her newly-purchased plane.
