Who was Bessie Coleman?
Bessie Coleman was born in Atlanta, Texas on January 26, 1892. After moving to Chicago, Bessie was inspired by the story of Eugene Bullard. He was flying with the French in 1917. At that time, no American school would teach an African American how to fly. With the help of Robert Abbott, owner of the Newspaper, Bessie Coleman learned to speak French and then traveled alone, by boat, to France, to learn to fly. Bessie received flight instruction from the flight school established by the Caudron brothers in 1910. On June 15, 1921, she received her pilot’s license from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (F.A.I.). Bessie received an international pilot’s license, becoming the first African American woman to do so. When she returned to Chicago, Bessie Coleman stated: “We must have aviators if we are to keep pace with the times.” Driven by her other goal — to open a school for African American aviation students — Bessie took on speaking engagements and stunt flying to raise the nece
