Elizabeth (Bessie) Coleman was born on January 26, 1892 in Atlanta, Texas. Some people may have never heard of her, but to me she is one of the greatest and most inspirational people in U.S. history. Bessie Coleman was the first black woman aviator.

The tenth of thirteen children, Bessie must have lived a hard life. Her parents, Susan and George Coleman, worked the cotton fields all day and she had to walk four miles to school! She went to an all black, one room schoolhouse.

Sometimes, she couldn’t bring chalk or pencils. Never less, she was deemed an excellent student by her teachers. She loved to read and excelled at math. She completed all eight years of schooling, even though her chores, school time, and church were often interrupted by the cotton harvest.

In 1901, Bessie’s life took a turn for the worst. George Coleman left his family. He must have felt fed up with all the racial barriers in Texas. He returned to Oklahoma or Indian Territory as it was then called, to find better opportunities. Susan and the children did not go with him.
When she was twelve, Bessie was accepted into the Missionary Baptist Church. She then left at eighteen, took all her savings with her, and enrolled in Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now called Langston University) in Langston, Oklahoma. She was there for a term, and then her money ran out.

Bessie knew there would be no future for her if she returned to her hometown, so she decided to travel with her brothers to Chicago, Illinois. While there, she worked as a manicurist. While working, she heard stories of pilots from World War 1. She began to fantasize about being a pilot.

In 1920, Bessie started taking French at the Berlitz School in Chicago. Later in the year, she traveled to Paris. There, she learned to fly a Nieuport Type 82 biplane. On June 15, 1921, the historic event happened. Bessie became the first African-American woman to earn an aviation pilots license.

Determined, she spent the next few months studying with a French ace pilot near Paris, and in September sailed to New York.

Bessie soon realized that in order to earn money, she would have to become a stunt pilot. Returning to Chicago, she could not find anyone to teach her! So in 1922, she returned to Europe. There she received lots of training in becoming a stunt pilot. She returned to the U.S.A. soon after, more confident then ever before.

By September she had become famous. She was known as Queen Bess. Invited to important events and featured in newspapers, she was admired by black and white men. In Los Angeles, California, she broke a leg and two ribs. She soon became known as a skilled and daring pilot who would stop at nothing to complete a stunt.

On April 30, 1926, Bessie Coleman died from a plane crash in Jacksonville, Florida. Three funerals were held for her, and over 15,000 people attended all of them. She has been given any honors over the years.

Bessie Coleman because was a courageous girl. She stood up and lived her dream, even when no one in her country would teach her. To me, she is the most amazing person in all of Black History. She had enough patience and confidence that she never let go of her dream. That is why she is one of the greatest aviators of all time.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 04.02.2012

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