Bessie Coleman

Hello! My name is Bessie Coleman, and I was one of the first female pilots in the world. I was born on January 26th, 1892, in a small town in Texas. Life was busy with my twelve brothers and sisters! Our family didn't have much money, so I spent a lot of my childhood helping pick cotton under the hot sun. It was hard work, but even as a little girl, I knew I wanted to do something big and exciting with my life. I loved going to school and reading books. In my heart, I dreamed of a future that took me far away from the cotton fields and high up into the clouds.

When I grew up, I moved to the big city and heard amazing stories about the brave pilots who flew airplanes in World War I. A thought popped into my head: 'I can do that!'. I was so excited to start, but when I tried to sign up for flying school in America, every door was closed to me. They told me I couldn't become a pilot because I was an African American woman. That made me sad, but it didn't stop me. I said to myself, 'If I can't learn to fly here, I will go somewhere else!'. I worked two jobs to save up my money, and I even started taking classes to learn how to speak French. In 1920, I got on a big ship and sailed all the way to France. It was there that my dream finally started to come true. I learned how to fly a plane, and on June 15th, 1921, I earned my pilot's license. I was the very first African American woman in the world to have one!

Coming back to America was so exciting! People had heard about my journey, and they were amazed by what I had done. They even gave me a special nickname: 'Queen Bess.' I became a famous stunt pilot and traveled all over the country to perform in airshows. I would fly my plane high in the sky, doing incredible tricks like loop-the-loops, sharp spins, and giant figure eights. Crowds would look up and cheer as I soared through the air like a bird! It was very important to me that everyone felt welcome at my shows. I made a special rule that I would only perform if people of all colors, Black and white, could come in through the same gate. I wanted to show the world that anyone could follow their dreams if they were brave enough to try.

My biggest dream was to open my own flying school. I wanted to create a place where other African Americans could learn how to become pilots, just like I did. Sadly, my life was cut short after a terrible accident with my plane in 1926. I lived to be 34 years old. Even though I never had the chance to build my school, my story inspired so many people. I showed them that you should never give up on your dreams, no matter how hard it seems or what anyone tells you. I hope my journey reminds everyone to keep reaching for the sky.