During Black History Month, we honor trailblazers like Bessie Coleman, who refused to let barriers keep her grounded.

Bessie Coleman defied the odds, becoming the first Black woman to earn an international pilot’s license in 1921. When flight schools in the U.S. denied her entry due to discrimination, she took her dreams to France and made history. Returning home, she wowed crowds as a daring stunt pilot, inspiring generations to chase their ambitions fearlessly.

Bessie Coleman was born in Waxahachie, Texas in 1892. Her mother was of African ancestry and her father was of African and Native American ancestry.

Due to discrimination in the United States, however, she went to France to attend an aviation school to become a pilot. In 1921, she became the first American woman to obtain an international pilot’s license.

Coleman came back to the United States and became a stunt pilot. She also raised money to start a school to train African American aviators, hoping to afford them opportunities that were not then available in the U.S.

“Well, because I knew we had no aviators, neither men nor women, and I knew the Race needed to be represented along this racist important line, so I thought it my duty to risk my life to learn aviating and to encourage flying among men and women of the Race who are so far behind the white men in this special line, I made up my mind to try. I tried and was successful.” – Bessie Coleman, Excerpt from “Aviatrix Must Sign Life Away to Learn Trade,” Chicago Defender, October 8, 1921

Coleman was killed in 1926 during an aerial show rehearsal. Her barrier-breaking life, determination, and impressive career accomplishments continue to provide inspiration for others to this day.