In 1921, a woman named Bessie Coleman, also often referred to as “Queen Bess” became the first Native American female pilot. In addition to this, Coleman became the first African American pilot of either genders, as well as the first to perform a public flight in 1922. Before these amazing achievements, Coleman lived a tough life. She worked day and night at numerous jobs in order to gather up enough money to pay for an education. Unfortunately, even after all her hard work, her saving did not make her enough money to finish any more than one year at a university. After having no choice but to drop out, she ended up working at a nail salon near her brothers’ home in Chicago. It was Coleman’s brother who sparked her drive to become a pilot when he teased her about her lack of rights in America when women in France were allowed to fly planes. She began applying to as many flight schools as she could, in hopes of being accepted to at least one. After being denied from numerous schools in the United States simply because of her race and gender, Coleman was accepted into the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in France, which is where she earned her pilot’s license in 1921. From this moment on, Coleman decided that her goal was to encourage women and African Americans to strive for their dreams no matter what.
She performed for crowds all across the United States and refused to perform unless there was no segregation. Because of this, not only was she famous for her flying tricks, but also for standing so firmly in her beliefs. In 1923, Coleman survived a crash due to engine failure. However, this accident did not stop her, as she resumed her performances just a year later. Unfortunately, she was in another accident, but this time wasn’t so lucky. While instructing a student, a lose wrench got lodged into the engine of the plane, causing the student pilot to lose control and flip the airplane. Coleman fell from the open top of the plane to her death. This accident was extremely heartbreaking for the thousands of people who admired her, but Queen Bess will live on forever to inspire women of all races.
