I now recognize that my introduction to Coleman was a bit problematic given that she was being portrayed by a White actress, but if it were not for that actress, I don’t think I ever would have heard of Bessie Coleman, the first African American female pilot.
Like Ida. B Wells, Bessie Coleman’s life fulfills many of the classic American hero tropes. She was born with nothing and through hard work became a somebody. She was always dogged by a desire to be better and “make something” of herself. And she didn’t let silly little things like obstacles stand in her way.
Coleman was born in Texas in 1893, the daughter of a Black mother and a father of mixed Black and Native American heritage – something that made life for the Colemans even more difficult than it otherwise would have been. Like many African Americans of her generation, Bessie Coleman and her brothers moved to Chicago in the 1920s. Coleman became a beautician and manicurist and by all accounts had “made something” of herself, but she still yearned for more.
After her brothers returned from serving in World War I, they teased Bessie by claiming that she wasn’t as daring as French women who were learning to fly planes. Allegedly, this is when Coleman’s passion for flight began. She was swiftly rejected from the American Aviation schools she applied to on account of her race, or gender, or both. So, based on the French reputation for being more progressive, Coleman learned French (you know, like you do), applied to French aviation schools (in French), and was accepted to the most famous of the French schools, Ecole d’Aviation des Freres Cadron et Le Crotoy. In June of 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first American – of any race or gender – to earn an international pilot license from the French Federation Aeronitique Internationale.
In the early days of aviation, civilian pilots tended to be entertainers, and so when Coleman returned to the United States, she used her skills to perform daredevil feats of aerial acrobatics. Although she never gained the same level of fame of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, Coleman’s fame for her skills in Europe ultimately spilled over into the United States. She used her position as a celebrity to speak out against segregation, by refusing to perform at locations that did not admit Black audience members. She also saved her money from her shows in hopes of opening a flight school for African Americans.
Like many early aviators, Bessie Coleman also died young, in a plane accident. While preparing for a show in Florida in 1926, Coleman and her mechanic (who was at the controls) experienced engine failure. Coleman fell out of the open cockpit and fell to her death. She was 34 years old. Thousands of people came to pay their respects to “Queen Bess” whose funeral was presided over by Ida B. Wells.
Over the last couple of weeks as I have been researching women such as Ida B. Wells, and Bessie Coleman, the more I have been thinking that I would love to see a movie about Ida B. Wells – especially one that highlights other amazing Black women that she brushed elbows with, such as Bessie Coleman. There is so much more to these women than what I can fit in a single post, and I urge you, if you find these women as inspiring as I do, to check out the sources at the bottom of the page and do some research of your own.
Sources:
BessieColeman.org - this is the most detailed of my sources
PBS
Stuff You Missed in History Class - for a 29 minute podcast episode on Bessie Coleman
National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian)
CNN
National Aviation Hall of Fame
BessieColeman.com
Al Jazeera
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