Bessie Coleman - African American Women, Career and Life
Bessie Coleman's Personal Details
Bessie Coleman was an American civil aviator who became the first female African-American pilot with a flight license
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | January 26, 1892 |
| Died on | April 30, 1926 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Miscellaneous, Aviators, African American Men, African American Women |
| City/State | Florida, Texas |
| Siblings | Elois Coleman Patterson, Georgia Coleman, John Coleman, Nilus Coleman, Walter Coleman |
| Cause of death |
|
| Birth Place | Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Gender | Female |
| Father | George Coleman |
| Mother | Susan Coleman |
| Sun Sign | Aquarius |
| Born in | Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Famous as | Aviator |
| Died at Age | 34 |
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Bessie Coleman's photo
Who is Bessie Coleman?
Bessie Coleman was an American civil aviator who became the first female African-American pilot with a flight license. Growing up in poverty in a racist environment in Texas, she was interested in getting an education and often taught her siblings. She funded her own higher studies by working as a laundress with her mother and working in the cotton field. She was inspired by stories of World War I and decided to become a pilot herself. At a time, when both racism and gender inequality were major issues in the US, she was forced to travel to Europe to earn her pilot's license. Faced with limited career opportunities as a civil aviator, she worked as a barnstormer, performing stunts to raise money to establish an aviation school for black people. She could not achieve that dream as a tragic plane crash took her life. However, her story keeps inspiring young African-Americans and people all over the world who nurture hard-to-achieve dreams. A number of roads, schools, libraries and aviation clubs have been named after her to honor her accomplishments.
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Childhood & Early Life
Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, to George and Susan Coleman, who worked as sharecroppers. Her father was of Native American and African-American descent, while her mother was African-American.
The family moved to Waxahachie, Texas, when she was only two years old. At the age of six, she attended a far-away, one-room school in Waxahachie, walking four miles daily. Coleman was brilliant in mathematics, and successfully completed eight grades in that school.
In 1901, her father proposed to move back to Native Indian territory in Oklahoma to escape racial discrimination in Texas, but her mother decided to stay behind. To support the family, her mother started working as a cotton picker and a laundress. Bessie’s two brothers started working as day laborers, while she took care of her two younger sisters.
When she was 12, she received a scholarship from Missionary Baptist Church School in Texas. She funded her studies in the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now Langston University) by working as a laundress. However, she only had enough money for one semester, following which she returned home.
Career
After returning to Waxahachie, Bessie Coleman continued to work as a laundress until 1915, after which she moved to Chicago to live with her older brother Walter. She found a job as a manicurist at the White Sox Barber Shop, and soon moved to her own place.
While working as a manicurist, she heard stories about World War I from pilots returning from war. Coleman, who aspired to "amount to something" since she was kid, decided that she would become a pilot. However, she soon learnt that there were no flight schools in the United States that would admit a black woman.
She had developed a friendship with Robert S. Abbott, founder and publisher of the 'Chicago Defender'. He informed her that French were world leaders in aviation and would admit people from any race. She took up another job at a chili parlor to raise funds and also learnt French at the Berlitz school in Chicago.
On November 20, 1920, she left for Paris, funded by Abbott and Jesse Binga, a realtor and a banker. She learned to fly in a Nieuport 82 biplane and obtained her 'Fédération Aéronautique Internationale' license on June 15, 1921, from Caudron Brothers' School of Aviation in Le Crotoy.
After training in Europe for couple more months, she returned to the US in September 1921. She immediately gained the attention of newspapers, all eager to tell her extraordinary story. However, she also realized that to earn a living as a pilot, she has to become a barnstormer.
To strengthen her skills as a competitive exhibition flier, she travelled back to Europe in February 1922. She pursued an advanced course in aviation in France, and visited Netherlands and Germany for additional training.
Returning back to New York in August 1922, she began her career in exhibition flying. To gain publicity and exposure, she started to appear more at public events and gave dramatized speeches on her adventures.
On September 3, 1922, she appeared for the first time in an American air-show. The event, held at Curtiss Field and sponsored by her friend Abbott, was in honor of the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment of World War I. She performed alongside eight other top American pilots.
In December 1922, she was offered a role in a feature film titled 'Shadow and Sunshine'. She hoped the role with give her further exposure, but the stereotypical portrayal of her race in the film disgusted her so much that she walked out of the project.
She soon announced her goal to establish a flight school to teach aviation to people of all race, especially blacks. She managed to earn money to buy her own plane by air-dropping advertising leaflets for a tire company.
She never backed off from dangerous stunts and performed difficult maneuvers like figure eights, loops, and near-ground dips. She met with an accident on February 22, 1923, which destroyed her new Jenny aircraft and injured her badly. Bessie was hospitalized for three months.
It took her another eighteen months to recover and secure new sponsors for exhibitions. She opened a beauty shop in Orlando, Florida, to raise additional money. She eventually managed to buy another Curtiss JN-4, but did not have enough time to establish the aviation school.
Major Works
Bessie Coleman considered it a responsibility to inspire African-American to become pilots and attended a number of events to tell her story to raise interest about aviation in black people. She spent a lot of time speaking at schools, theaters, and churches around the country, displaying clips of her aerial stunts.
Awards & Achievements
Bessie Coleman became the first African-American woman, as well as the first person of Native American descent to get a pilot's license. Performing daredevil stunts, she won the hearts of the audience and earned the nickname, "Queen Bess".
Personal Life & Legacy
On December 30, 1916, Bessie Coleman reportedly got married to Claude Glenn, who was a friend of her bother and was 14 years older than her. However, they soon separated, and she and her family never publicly acknowledged the relationship.
She died on April 30, 1926, in a plane crash while testing out her new Jenny aircraft during preparation for an exhibition for May Day celebrations. Coleman, who was in the second seat looking over the cockpit to prepare for the next day's show, was thrown out of the plane after pilot William D. Wills lost control of it.
In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 32-cent stamp to honor her memory. In 2006, she was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
Trivia
Bessie Coleman's school closed yearly during the harvest season so that the kids could help their family in the fields. However, she was more interested in maintaining accounts of their daily work than cotton-picking.
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Bessie Coleman biography timelines
- // 26th Jan 1892Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, to George and Susan Coleman, who worked as sharecroppers. Her father was of Native American and African-American descent, while her mother was African-American.
- // 1901In 1901, her father proposed to move back to Native Indian territory in Oklahoma to escape racial discrimination in Texas, but her mother decided to stay behind. To support the family, her mother started working as a cotton picker and a laundress. Bessie’s two brothers started working as day laborers, while she took care of her two younger sisters.
- // 1915After returning to Waxahachie, Bessie Coleman continued to work as a laundress until 1915, after which she moved to Chicago to live with her older brother Walter. She found a job as a manicurist at the White Sox Barber Shop, and soon moved to her own place.
- // 30th Dec 1916On December 30, 1916, Bessie Coleman reportedly got married to Claude Glenn, who was a friend of her bother and was 14 years older than her. However, they soon separated, and she and her family never publicly acknowledged the relationship.
- // 20th Nov 1920 To 15th Jun 1921On November 20, 1920, she left for Paris, funded by Abbott and Jesse Binga, a realtor and a banker. She learned to fly in a Nieuport 82 biplane and obtained her 'Fédération Aéronautique Internationale' license on June 15, 1921, from Caudron Brothers' School of Aviation in Le Crotoy.
- // Sep 1921After training in Europe for couple more months, she returned to the US in September 1921. She immediately gained the attention of newspapers, all eager to tell her extraordinary story. However, she also realized that to earn a living as a pilot, she has to become a barnstormer.
- // Feb 1922To strengthen her skills as a competitive exhibition flier, she travelled back to Europe in February 1922. She pursued an advanced course in aviation in France, and visited Netherlands and Germany for additional training.
- // Aug 1922Returning back to New York in August 1922, she began her career in exhibition flying. To gain publicity and exposure, she started to appear more at public events and gave dramatized speeches on her adventures.
- // 3rd Sep 1922On September 3, 1922, she appeared for the first time in an American air-show. The event, held at Curtiss Field and sponsored by her friend Abbott, was in honor of the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment of World War I. She performed alongside eight other top American pilots.
- // Dec 1922In December 1922, she was offered a role in a feature film titled 'Shadow and Sunshine'. She hoped the role with give her further exposure, but the stereotypical portrayal of her race in the film disgusted her so much that she walked out of the project.
- // 22nd Feb 1923She never backed off from dangerous stunts and performed difficult maneuvers like figure eights, loops, and near-ground dips. She met with an accident on February 22, 1923, which destroyed her new Jenny aircraft and injured her badly. Bessie was hospitalized for three months.
- // 30th Apr 1926She died on April 30, 1926, in a plane crash while testing out her new Jenny aircraft during preparation for an exhibition for May Day celebrations. Coleman, who was in the second seat looking over the cockpit to prepare for the next day's show, was thrown out of the plane after pilot William D. Wills lost control of it.
- // 1995 To 2006In 1995, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 32-cent stamp to honor her memory. In 2006, she was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
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Bessie Coleman's FAQ
What is Bessie Coleman birthday?
Bessie Coleman was born at 1892-01-26
When was Bessie Coleman died?
Bessie Coleman was died at 1926-04-30
Which age was Bessie Coleman died?
Bessie Coleman was died at age 34
Where is Bessie Coleman's birth place?
Bessie Coleman was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States
What is Bessie Coleman nationalities?
Bessie Coleman's nationalities is American
Who is Bessie Coleman siblings?
Bessie Coleman's siblings is Elois Coleman Patterson, Georgia Coleman, John Coleman, Nilus Coleman, Walter Coleman
What is Bessie Coleman's cause of dead?
Bessie Coleman dead because of Plane Crash
Who is Bessie Coleman's father?
Bessie Coleman's father is George Coleman
Who is Bessie Coleman's mother?
Bessie Coleman's mother is Susan Coleman
What is Bessie Coleman's sun sign?
Bessie Coleman is Aquarius
How famous is Bessie Coleman?
Bessie Coleman is famouse as Aviator