The First Black Female Pilot America Tried to Ignore #bessiecoleman #BlackHistory

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]loops, dives, walking on wings. Born in Texas, one of 13 children, from picking cotton in the fields to chasing airplanes. Before there was diversity in the skies, there was Bessie Coleman. But there was one problem, no flight school in America would accept her because she was black, a woman. So, she did something unbelievable. She learned French, packed her bags, and moved to France just to earn her pilot's license.

[00:00:28]She became the first black woman pilot in the world. Onlookers called her Queen Bess. Except she wouldn't fly if her fans couldn't enter through the front, refusing to perform for segregated audiences. But she didn't just want to fly alone. She wanted to open a flight school for other black pilots. Yet tragically, Bessie would die in a plane accident. Her legacy proves the sky is never the limit. Follow to learn more about topics your favorite auntie explains.