In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license. But she didn’t achieve this in America—no U.S. flight school would teach a Black woman. So she took a bold step. She taught herself French, sailed to Europe, and enrolled in a flight school in France, where the sky was open—even if the world was not.
When Bessie returned home, she didn’t just fly—she amazed. At airshows, she performed daring loops and dives, earning the nickname “Brave Bessie.” Yet her dream went beyond stunts. She wanted to start a flight school so other young Black pilots wouldn’t have to cross an ocean just to learn to fly.
Tragically, in 1926, Bessie died during a test flight at only 34 years old. But by then, she had already paved a new path in history. Bessie Coleman didn’t just break barriers—she made space for others to rise. Today, every woman who flies and every child who dreams carries a part of Bessie with them.