Lifting As She Climbed: Bessie Coleman's Contributions To The Elevation Of Black Women

Bessie Coleman-the first Black female pilot-was a lightning rod for feminism and civil rights at the turn of the twentieth century. Graceful and charming with her quick wit and sharp mind, she single handedly emancipated herself and every Black aviator. She led the way and created the belief that females were not only good enough, but could also be better than men and be there before men in dangerous new frontiers. She was the first female to hold an international pilot's license, the first female Black pilot and a barnstormer, and the first woman to test pilot some of the world's largest aircraft of her day. She rose to the very pinnacle of aviation in 1924. Beyond her contributions to feminism and the Black race, she was a special human being set apart and above the rest. She may have been the first free Black female to have told the lesson that women can do it all-and do it all with class.