Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman was an African American woman who lived in the early 1900s. She became fascinated with aviation after seeing its influence in WWI and hearing the veteran aviator’s stories after they returned from the war. However, she was denied a chance to earn her “wings” and fly due to her race and gender. She was rejected by every flight school in America, but this didn’t deter her will to fly. She had heard of French women learning to fly and decided to give that route a shot. She learned French and traveled to France to pursue her dream. She attended the Caudron Brothers School of Aviation and earned her pilots license in 1921 while flying the Nieuport Type 82 Biplane. She became the first African American to earn a pilots license and one of the first American Women to earn a pilots license. After traveling back to America, she began flying in Air Shows and became an instant star. Unfortunately, she was killed in a plane crash in 1926. However, her influence did not die with her as she was a source of inspiration for many women and African Americans that came after her to go get their pilot’s licenses and become aviators.
https://www.flyingmag.com/photo-gallery/photos/51-heroes-aviation#page-40