Brave Bessie

Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, as the tenth of thirteen children to George and Susan Coleman, who were of African American and possibly Native American heritage. It seems strange to me that a person might not know if they were partly Native American, but then those were different times. DNA information did not exist then, in fact no one remotely considered that such a thing was possible. Also, in those days, any connection to Native Americans was almost scandalous, probably because it was indicative of the kidnappings of the settlers that happened periodically…and the Indian “marriages” to some of the women they had kidnapped. Children were born of these “marriages” and sometimes the women didn’t or didn’t want to go back to the world from which they were kidnapped.

While she may not have been sure of her heritage, Bessie must have been told that she was part Native American, because that is how her life was listed in anything important. Bessie grew up working in the cotton fields, but she had a natural talent for academics, especially math, while attending a segregated one-room school in Waxahachie, Texas. At 18, she enrolled at Langston University in Oklahoma but had to leave after one term due to financial difficulties. In 1915, at 23 years old, Coleman moved to Chicago to live with her brothers. She worked as a manicurist and managed a restaurant, where hearing stories from World War I pilots sparked her interest in flying.

Of course, it would not be an easy road…this journey to becoming a pilot. Because of the times she lived in, Coleman faced both racial and gender discrimination, and it kept her out of American flight schools. Frustrated, she thought she might have to give up her dream, but she found encouragement from Robert S Abbott, founder of the Chicago Defender, and with financial backing from Abbott and banker Jesse Binga she stumbled into a future chance to study abroad. Coleman learned French and, in November 1920, she traveled to Paris to attend the Caudron Brothers School of Aviation. Flying a Nieuport 564 biplane, she earned her international pilot’s license on June 15, 1921, becoming the first African American and Native American woman to do so…shattering barriers in early aviation and inspiring future generations. She later honed her skills with advanced training from French ace pilots and visited major aircraft manufacturers like Fokker.

Coleman returned to the US in 1922 and became a barnstorming pilot, dazzling crowds with aerial stunts like loops, figure eights, and daring low dives, often at airshows honoring African American regiments, but one thing the flatly refused to do was to perform at segregated events, thereby standing up for equality. Soon, she became known as “Queen Bess” and “Brave Bessie.” She was a celebrated figure in the Black press and inspired many aspiring African American and Native American pilots. Sadly, on April 30, 1926, during a rehearsal for an airshow in Jacksonville, Florida, her poorly maintained plane went into a spin, ejecting her from about 2,000 feet and killing her instantly. She was just 34 years old.

She died in the prime of her life, with her greatest aspiration as yet unfulfilled. Although Coleman never got the chance to open her flight school, her groundbreaking achievements inspired many, from the Tuskegee Airmen to NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, who brought Coleman’s photo on a Space Shuttle mission. In 1929, the Bessie Coleman Aero Club was founded in her honor to promote African American aviation. Her legacy lives on through commemorative stamps, monuments, and events that celebrate her as a trailblazer for women and minorities in aviation. Bessie Coleman’s life is a powerful example of courage, determination, and breaking barriers. She is a symbol of inspiration in American history and aviation.