Bessie Coleman was a beacon of hope for women and African Americans. She learned French so she could go to France and learn to fly because no one would teach a black woman to fly in the US. She was the first woman to hold an international pilots license. She wanted to open a flying school to teach other African Americans to fly. This print is a full color, high resolution 8.5 x 11 inch print on glossy paper suitable for framing or for just hanging up on the wall.
Bessie Coleman was a beacon of hope for women and African Americans. She learned French so she could go to France and learn to fly because no one would teach a black woman to fly in the US. She was the first woman to hold an international pilots license. She wanted to open a flying school to teach other African Americans to fly.
When she did barnstorming, a type of acrobatic flying, she insisted blacks be able to come through the same gate as the whites instead of separate gates as was done then. She was a leader in the move for equal rights.
This picture of Bessie shows her dressed in flight gear that she designed with an engaging fun smile. Girls will be inspired by her determination and work to achieve their dreams.
This print is a full color, high resolution 8.5 x 11 inch print on glossy paper suitable for framing or for just hanging up on the wall.
About Bessie Coleman
Working in the fields of Waxahachie, Texas, young Bessie Coleman looked to the sky. "I want to fly away from here," she thought. She did not want to spend her life picking cotton.
She didn't know at the time what she would do. Girls didn't have many choices then, around 1900. And as an African American, she had even fewer choices. But she wouldn't let prejudice, or being poor, or anything else stop her.
Bessie worked hard and was smart. At seven-years old she could figure out how much the foreman should pay her and her mother for their work. Going to school meant walking four miles a day, but she did it.
Bessie later moved to Chicago, still searching for "what she would do." Though that city was also segregated, it offered African Americans more opportunity for work. Bessie became a skilled manicurist. She loved listening to the customers talking about politics, business, and travel. What she heard, and all she read, fed her desire to strive for something better.
Her brothers knew of her ambition and often ridiculed her. One teasingly told her of women in France who flew airplanes. When she heard him, she said: "That's what I will do. I'll fly planes."
But no one in the United States would teach a Black woman to fly. So Bessie saved her money, learned to speak French, and went off to France. At age 29, she passed the test and received her pilot's license. She became the first Black woman to ever earn a license from this respected flight school.
Back in the United States, as the only licensed Black pilot, Bessie set another goal; she wanted to open a flight school so other African Americans could learn to fly. She raised money for her school by doing trick flying at airshows and giving lectures. She had one rule: everyone who attends must enter through the same gate—no segregation.
Bessie died in a plane crash caused by mechanical failure. Thousands of people mourned her. Though she did not live to see her flight school in operation, others came along to make it a reality. As a result of that school or Bessie's inspiration, other African Americans learned to fly. And many more learned that they too could overcome poverty, prejudice, and other obstacles to make life better—for themselves and for others.
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