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Bessie Coleman, 1923

Queen Bess, as she was lovingly called during her lifetime, was a trailblazer for women of color in the field of aviation. Coleman was the first woman of African descent and the first woman of Native American descent to hold a pilot’s license. She was also the first African American, male or female, to hold an international pilot’s license. Her bravery and diligence helped her pave the way for women and all people of color in her field. 

Coleman was born in the small town of Atlanta in Northeast Texas, near the Texas-Louisiana state line on January 26, 1892. She was one of 13 children born to George and Susan Coleman. George was of Cherokee descent, and Susan was African American. Coleman was able to attend school and excelled in math. But every summer she missed school to help her parents work in the cotton fields as sharecroppers. When she was 18, Coleman used money she had saved to briefly attended Langston University (then known as the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University) but returned to her family home in Waxahachie, TX after one term. 

Robert S. Abbott

In 1916, when she was in her mid-twenties, Coleman moved to Chicago to live with her brothers. She soon began to meet pilots returning home from World War I. Their stories of flying in the war inspired her and she began saving money to become a pilot. Unfortunately, she soon learned that no flight schools in America would admit her, since she was a woman, and a woman of color at that. Luckily, Coleman met a newspaper publisher named Robert S. Abbott who helped her gain the funding to study abroad.

Coleman traveled to France in 1920 and studied at the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. After a year of study Bessie Coleman, a granddaughter of slaves, finally earned her pilot’s license. She then continued to take flying lessons in France until returning home at the end of 1921. Once back in the U.S. she decided to become a barnstormer, a type of pilot who performed aerial stunts such as barrel rolls, spins, and dives. However, she discovered she needed more training to become a successful stunt flier and began searching the Chicago area for someone to train her. She quickly found that no one was willing to teach her, even though she had earned a pilot’s license, due to her gender and race. Undaunted, she travelled back to Europe and trained in France, the Netherlands, and Germany. This time when she returned to America, she was ready.

Bessie Coleman, 1922

Coleman began performing as a stunt pilot and, over the next few years, was extremely popular across the country. She only performed at events that allowed African Americans to attend, and spoke out about the plight of Black Americans when able. After being offered a role in a Hollywood film, Coleman gladly accepted until she read the script. Her character’s first scene involved her dressing as a “hobo,” wearing tattered clothing and carrying a bindle.  Although the money from the film would have helped her afford her own plane (something she had been dreaming of) she refused to perpetuate negative stereotypes about African Americans and declined the role. She continued performing her stunts in front of packed crowds across the U.S. 

US Postal Stamp, 1995

While travelling in Florida, Coleman decided to stay for a while, eventually opening a beauty shop in Orlando so that she could save up to buy her own plane. By 1923, she had finally saved the money she needed and purchased her first plane. However, on her way to a performance on the west coast, Coleman’s plane crashed. She survived the crash but sustained major injuries that resulted in a three month hospital stay. Once she was healed, she immediately returned to work. She was determined to save enough money to buy another plane. She travelled back to Chicago and continued performing at air shows as her popularity steadily grew. Eventually, she earned enough money to buy another plane and bring her dreams to fruition. 

Although she was a successful and daring pilot, Coleman’s did not dream of being a stunt flier forever. She had loftier plans than that. Coleman dreamed of opening an aviation school for African American youth so that the next generation of Black aviators would not have to face the same hardships as her. Sadly, she would not live to accomplish this goal, at least not directly.

“It’s tempting to draw parallels between me and Ms. Coleman. I point to Bessie Coleman and say here is a woman, a being, who exemplifies and serves as a model for all humanity, the very definition of strength, dignity, courage, integrity, and beauty.”

-Mae Jemison

Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis (second from left) visits William J. Powell (right) at the workshop of the Bessie Coleman Aero Club in Los Angeles

 Bessie Coleman died in a plane crash on April 30th, 1926 in Jacksonville, Florida in her newly purchased plane. After the crash it was discovered that a forgotten wrench had jammed the engine and caused the crash. She was only 34 years old. Her funeral service in Chicago was performed by Ida B. Wells and she was mourned by thousands across the country. After her death it became a tradition for Black pilots to drop flowers when they flew over her grave outside of Chicago. The tradition of honoring Coleman continues to this day with a balloon release in lieu of a flower drop on the anniversary of her death.

While Coleman died before achieving her dreams, her accomplishments inspired others to follow in her footsteps. After her death, William J. Powell, a fellow aviator, opened the Bessie Coleman School of Flight in her honor. Powell also created the Bessie Coleman Aero Club which boasted such guests as Duke Ellington and Joe Louis (a fellow member of Mixed History). Bessie Coleman’s legacy continues into the modern day, inspiring generations of Black and female aeronauts. In 1992, Bessie Coleman made it to space when the first African American woman in space, Mae Jemison, carried Coleman’s portrait with her on her first mission.

Above from right to left: A coin issued in 2001, the Chicago Defender front page announcing Coleman’s death, Coleman’s pilot’s license, and a memorial for Coleman in Jacksonville, Florida.

Further Reading

Didn’t get enough Mixed History? Check out the lists below for more info on Bessie Coleman!

Books & Film

  • Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden
  • Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman by Nikki Grimes
  • Up in the Air: The Story of Bessie Coleman by Philip S. Hart
  • The Life of Bessie Coleman by Connie Plantz
  • Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator by Doris L. Rich
  • Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
  • The Legend: The Bessie Coleman Story (2018)

Media