February 20, 2019 The Skanner BLACK HISTORY EDITION Page 5
Black History
Bessie Coleman
Born in 1892 in Texas, Bessie
Coleman started out picking
cotton. But her dream was in
the sky.
“
At her
shows,
she would
refuse to
take to the
air unless
the crowd
was deseg-
regated
and every-
one used
the same
gate
the plane back to Cole-
man in Jacksonville, Fla.,
making several stops
for mechanical issues
along the way. Coleman
insisted on flying and,
on April 30, fell 3,500
feet from the open cock-
pit to her death during a
test flight. It was found a
wrench used to service
the engine had jammed
the controls. More than
10,000 mourners attend-
ed her funeral in Chica-
go, which was presided
over by journalist Ida B.
Wells, a champion for
equal rights.
Airport roads and me-
morials around the world
honor Coleman, as do sev-
SAN DIEGO AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM
C
everyone used the same
gate.
Coleman bought a Jen-
ny JN-4 in Dallas in 1926.
Her mechanic and agent,
William D. Willis, flew
NASA
oleman had to go all
the way to France to
achieve it; no Amer-
ican flight school
would take her. In 1919,
she left for Europe and,
in 1921, became the first
person of African-Amer-
ican descent and the first
person of Native Ameri-
can descent to become an
internationally licensed
pilot by the Fédération
Aéronautique
Inter-
nationale. Coleman re-
ceived training from the
Fokker Corp., and met
with Anthony Fokker,
one of the world’s most
distinguished
aircraft
designers.
Queen Bess, as she was
called, returned to Amer-
ica to make her living
barnstorming, or flying
in stunt shows. Coleman
also lectured and even
opened a beauty shop
to make money to buy a
plane. At her shows, she
would refuse to take to
the air unless the crowd
was desegregated and
eral schools and aviation
awards. Mae Jemison, the
first African American
female astronaut, took a
picture of Coleman with
her into space.