Up, Up…and Above Adversity! The Trailblazing African-American Women of Aviation Tasmiah Rashid February 21, 2023 Black History Month Despite the obstacles and the many odds stacked against them, a few trailblazing African-American pilots made vital contributions to the realm of aviation. And in turn, they stirred up major headwinds of change toward equality in the United States. When it comes to naming those prominent African-American pioneers in aviation, for many, the image of a group of young, dashing pilots standing in front of a fleet of military planes is probably what comes to mind. For example, the image of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. While this group of African-American pilots stands as an enduring symbol of how black aviators broke through barriers and achieved numerous feats, far fewer people know of the many women that paved the way for those men to make history. Before the Tuskegee Airmen, there was Janet, there was Willa, and there was Bessie. In honor of Black History Month, join us in celebrating these groundbreaking black women pilots that reached for the skies, and made it up, up, and above adversity. Bessie Coleman Bessie Coleman was born in Atlanta, Texas, and was one of 13 children. As a child, she helped her sharecropper parents. She never imagined that her barn-hand days would one day turn into “barnstorming” ones. So where did her airborne curiosity stem from? Well, Coleman was unable to complete her college education due to a lack of funds. So, she decided to move out of Texas in 1916 to find more opportunities in Chicago. Soon after she arrived, she found a job as a manicurist at a local barbershop where she would hear stories from returning World War I pilots about flying during the war. Interest and tenacity piqued, Coleman took up another job to save up money as quickly as possible to become a pilot. In a time when neither women nor African-Americans could be admitted into American flight schools, this future aviatrix took her determination abroad to Paris. At last, on June 15, 1921, Coleman received her pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. She made headlines as the first African-American woman to accomplish such a feat — not just in France, but in the entire world. When she returned to Chicago, her sights were set on a new endeavor: a flight school for African Americans. To make and save enough money to do this, Coleman opened up a beauty parlor and got a job as a barnstorming pilot. “Barnstorming” was a popular style of stunt flying used to impress crowds throughout the 1920s. And in an era of severe segregation, she was best known for her refusal to perform unless the crowds were desegregated. Sadly, her dream of opening a flight school ended abruptly at the young age of 34, when she tragically died in a plane crash. While she didn’t get the chance to open up a flight school, Coleman single-handedly opened up the skies for many African-American women to pursue their aspirations. Willa Brown Inspired by Bessie Coleman, a young and determined Willa Brown became the first African-American woman to earn a pilot license in the United States. Like her inspirational predecessor, Brown moved to Chicago at a young age to broaden her career prospects. After receiving her MBA from Northwestern University, Brown started her professional life in Chi-town as a high school teacher and later as a social worker. Although she enjoyed being a role model and giving back to her community through her work, Brown felt that her intellect and talents weren’t being used to their potential. For Brown, there were boundaries to surpass and walls to break down as an educated, African-American woman. So, she took to the skies. Brown learned how to fly from Cornelius Coffey, an expert aviation mechanic, certified flight instructor, and her soon-to-be husband. As the saying goes, love was definitely in the air for this pair. After she received her pilot’s license she married Coffey. After they got married, they opened up the very first African-American flight school: The Coffey School of Aeronautics. Brown trained hundreds of pilots in her institution on all things aviation from shorter domestic flights to international trips. Many of her students went on to become the first black military aviators in the U.S. Army Corps — the Tuskegee Airmen. Due to Brown’s valiant efforts, Congress finally allowed separate-but-equal participation of Blacks in civilian flight training programs, such as the federal Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). After the Coffey School closed in 1945, Brown continued to march forward with her torch for change. She eventually became the first black female officer in the Civil Air Patrol in the United States. You may also like: How Well Do You Know Your Facts About Black History? Janet Harmon Bragg There must have been something special in the Chicago air. Our third pioneering African-American aviatrix also started her trailblazing path of flight-firsts in the Windy City. Janet Harmon Bragg was a registered nurse who as born and raised in Georgia. Her move to Chicago was fueled by the promise of better career opportunities. What started out as a hobby turned into a revolution for Bragg. She became the first African-American woman to enroll in the Curtiss Wright School of Aeronautics. She was the only woman in a class of 24 men. While in flight school, she continued to work as a nurse at several hospitals so she could save her money and purchase a plane. That way, she could both practice her skills and provide opportunities to other flying enthusiasts. Bragg enrolled in the Tuskegee Black pilot training school, where she trained with many future military pilots — yep, you guessed it, the Tuskegee Airmen. Here too, she was the only woman, and as a result, constantly faced gender discrimination. Even after successfully taking all the classes and passing the flight test, she was denied the license. It took her 10 years to finally receive her commercial license in 1943, becoming the first woman to accomplish such a feat. After she received her license, Bragg went on to train many female pilots during World War II. Many of these pilots were selected as Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). But when she applied to WASP she was turned down because she was African American. Although both her race and gender presented innumerable hurdles in her path, Bragg continued to fly for pleasure and later detailed her perils in her autobiography, Soaring Above Setbacks. Which other African-American aviatrixes inspire you? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
