Honoring Black Ancestors : BESSIE COLEMAN (QUEEN BESS")

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Bessie Queen Bess Coleman
1892 - 1926

First Black African American woman pilot
she was well known to the public as Queen Bess" Bessie Coleman was the
first black woman ever to fly an airplane and first african american to earn
an international pilot license, she worked as a laundress and manicurist in
chicago.
As a professional Aviatrix, coleman was often criticized by the press, she
set out to fulfill a great dream establishing a school for the young black
aviators,because of this hero Queen lieutenant William J. Powell of the
Black wings (wrote) .
We have overcome that which was worse than racial barriers, we have
overcome the barriers within ourselves that dared to dream.
Bessie Coleman was born in Atlanta in 1892 at the age of two (2) her
family moved to a small farm in Texas near the town of (Waxahachie)
30 miles south of Dallas being one of 13 children she cared mostly for
her sisters and brothers after the long cotton-picking she earned top
marks in mathematics but the local school shut down so children could
help harvest.

At age nine 9 her Father who was three forth indian left the family
returning home in Oklahoma, worn out by racial discrimination in Texas
Bessie mother , rather than uproot the family remain in Texas working
in laundry and picking cotton to support her family, coleman completed
the 8th grade at the top of her class then went to work as a laundress
saving money for a college education in 1910 she enrolled at the
Preparatory school of the Agricultural and at Normal University in Langston
after one semester she had to return back to Texas her money was out
in 1915 with all the humiliating life style she join her brother (Walter ) in
Chicago and Windy-City became her adopted home, she went to chicago
beauty school to become a manicurist land her first job at the white sox
barber shop and became friends with many and a gentlmen who was older
then she was (Clude Glenn) who she married in 1917 but lived with briefly
she earned and gain a reputation as the best and fastest manicurist in
black Chicago, one of her new found friends was (Robert S. Abbott) the
founder and editor/publisher of the Chicago Definder newspaper
in 1920 women pilot's were a rarity and black women were a virtual
impossibility but Bessie continue with great pride to break into this
barrier after receiving a string of Rejections from american Aviation schools
she turn to Mr.Abbott for advice , he suggested she learn french and go to
France where racism would be less a barrier, November 1920 she left for
France enrolled at (Ecole d'Aviation des freres caudron at Le crotoy )
she learn to fly in a NIEUPORT type 82 biplane JUNE 1921 ahe received her
License from the Federation Aeronautique international becoming the first
black woman in the Institution's History making history , returning back to
Chicago yet no one willing to help teach her in February 1922 she sailed
off to Europe then left for Holland and in August she return to the united
states.

Coleman made her first appearance in an american air show on September
3rd, 1922 for an event honoring the all black 369th American Expeditionary
forces of world war 1 held at curtiss field near New York.

she put on a show at the Checkerboard airdome now (Midway Airport)
in Chicago where she was named the world's greatest woman flyer,
Bessie was offered a film role in Shadow & sunshine financed by african
american seminole film producing co. she accepted the role to learn
the first scene of the movie required her to appear in tattered colthes
walking stick with a pack on her back she refused to proceed, walking
off the movie set was a statement of principles.

she later bought her first plane , Ancient curtiss JN-4 priced at $400
in 1923 it stalled at near 300 feet nose dived to the ground leaving
coleman with a broken leg , ribs
Making her first Texas flight JUNE 19th 1923 the Anniversary of the
Texan blacks achieved their freedom, in 1926 she was on a practice run
with her mechanic (William D. Wills) who was the pilot she was in the
back cockpit not seatbelted to see the contour of the field below at
80 mph the plane went into a tail-spin fliped unside down coleman was
hurled out and plunged to her death .

Years after black Aviators inspired by her pioneering achievements
form a network of BESSIE COLEMAN AERO CLUB was founded in 1977
by a group of black women pilot's from the Chicago area

Every APRIL on Coleman's death date , the
BESSIE COLEMAN AVIATORS

PILOT'S FROM CHICAGO AMERICAN PILOTS ASSOC.

NEGRO AIRMEN INTERNATIONAL
fly low over Lincoln Cemetery in Chicago suburbs of Blue Island to drop
flowers on the Grave as an additional tribute to the world's first black
air pilot and aviator Bessie Coleman.

in 1990 Mayor Daily Renamed old MANNHEIM RD. at O'Hare Airport
BESSIE COLEMAN DR. and in 1992 he proclaimed MAY 2nd Bessie Coleman
Day in Chicago and later after she got national Recongnition the
U.S.Postal service place her on the Stamp....

this is one of our brave and forwarded Ancestors who lived and died
for what she beleived and to achieved in for the young Blacks.........
a american hero and historical maker Bessie Coleman

read the full text and article here
http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/coleman_b.htm
 

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