Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman (1892– 1926), also known as “Queen Bess,” was the first black American to pilot an airplane. She was born in Atlanta, Texas. Coleman was smart, ambitious, and outspoken.

After one semester in college, Coleman moved to Chicago in search of opportunity. There she worked as a manicurist, owned a chili parlor, and became interested in flying. Because no one in the United States would teach a black woman to fly, Coleman learned to speak French and moved to France to attend aviation school. In 1921, Bessie Coleman earned a license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, becoming the first black American to receive an international pilot’s license.

Her return to America made Coleman a national media sensation. She gave speeches and performed stunts in air shows for mixed audiences, threatening to boycott unless black attendees were permitted to enter through the same gate as whites. Coleman wanted to interest other black people in flying.