Bessie Coleman First African American Native American Woman Pilot Brave Bessie Queen Bess Race Aviatrix

Bessie Coleman (1892–1926)

Trailblazing Beginnings

Bessie Coleman soared across the sky as the first African American and the first Native American woman pilot. Known for her daring flying tricks, she earned nicknames like “Brave Bessie,” “Queen Bess,” and “The Only Race Aviatrix in the World.” She aimed to inspire women and African Americans to chase their dreams. Sadly, a tragic plane crash ended her career, yet her life still inspires people around the globe.

Born in Atlanta, Texas, on January 26, 1892, Bessie Coleman grew up with twelve brothers and sisters. Her mother, Susan Coleman, worked as a maid, and her father, George Coleman, was a sharecropper of mixed Native American and African American heritage. In 1901, her father moved back to Oklahoma to escape discrimination. Her mother chose to remain in Waxahachie, Texas, with the children. Bessie helped her mother by picking cotton and washing laundry for extra income. By age eighteen, she had saved enough to attend the Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now Langston University) in Langston, Oklahoma. After one semester, she left because she could not afford tuition.

Journey Toward the Sky

At 23, Coleman moved to Chicago to live with her brothers. She studied at the Burnham School of Beauty Culture in 1915 and became a manicurist in a local barbershop. Meanwhile, her brothers served in World War I and returned with stories of France, where women could learn to fly. Her brother John teased her about it, sparking her determination to become a pilot. She applied to many flight schools in the United States, but none accepted her because she was both African American and a woman. Robert Abbott, a prominent African American newspaper publisher, advised her to move to France for training. She began studying French at night so she could apply to French flight schools.

Eventually, the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France, accepted her. On June 15, 1921, she earned her international pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. She dreamed of owning a plane and opening her own flight school. To raise money, she gave speeches and showed films of her stunts in churches, theaters, and schools. She refused to speak at any venue that practiced segregation or discrimination.

Breaking Barriers in Aviation

In 1922, she performed the first public flight by an African American woman. Her “loop-the-loops” and figure-eight maneuvers thrilled audiences across the United States and Europe. She toured extensively, offering flight lessons and encouraging African Americans and women to pursue aviation.

Two years into her flying career, Coleman experienced her first major crash when her airplane’s engine failed in February 1923. She broke her leg, cracked ribs, and suffered facial cuts. She recovered fully and resumed performing in 1925. Her dedication allowed her to save enough to purchase a Jenny JN-4 with an OX-5 engine. Later that year, she returned to her Texas hometown to perform. When managers insisted on separate entrances for African Americans and whites, she refused to participate. After negotiations, they agreed on a single entrance, though seating remained segregated. She stood by her principles and performed, earning even greater respect.

A Tragic End and Lasting Legacy

On April 30, 1926, Coleman took a test flight with mechanic William Wills, who piloted the aircraft while she sat in the passenger seat. At about 3,000 feet, a loose wrench jammed the engine. Wills lost control, and the plane flipped. Without a seatbelt—common at the time—Coleman fell from the open cockpit and died instantly. Wills crashed nearby and also died.

Thousands mourned her passing. Activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett led her funeral in Chicago. In 1931, the Challenger Pilots’ Association of Chicago began an annual flyover of her grave. By 1977, African American women pilots formed the Bessie Coleman Aviators Club. In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service issued the “Bessie Coleman Stamp” to honor her groundbreaking legacy.