Bessie Coleman was born in 1892 in Atlanta, Texas. She was
one of 13 children born to Susan and George Coleman, who were both
sharecroppers. Her father, who was of Native American and African American
descent, left the family when Bessie was very young. Her mother did her best to
support the family, and all the children pitched in as soon as they were old
enough to help. It was Bessie’s dream to become a pilot, but no flying schools
in the United States were open to her. Undeterred, Bessie learned French and
moved to France, where her gender and the color of her skin didn’t hold her
back. She earned her pilot’s license in just seven months. Bessie’s specialty
was stunt flying; she earned a living barnstorming and performing high flying
tricks. She was rehearsing for an aerial show when an accident took her life at
the age of thirty-four.
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