Separate But Not Equal

Through much of American history, especially prior to the Civil Rights Movement that peaked in the 1960s, African Americans held secondary positions in nearly every walk of life. In education, housing, business and employment, if not always by public policy then by practice, opportunities were restricted. In aviation, they were no more welcome than in the rest of society. Hiring in commercial aviation was almost non-existent prior to 1960. Those few pioneers who became aviators prior to the Civil Rights Movement did so under circumstances that are hard to imagine today.

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Bessie Coleman
During the 1920s and 30s, many people, including those in the military, believed that African Americans did not have the mental capacity to fly airplanes. Bessie Coleman, the first black female pilot, could not find a flying school in the U.S. that would train a black woman. Coleman moved to France and earned her license from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, becoming the first woman to earn an International Aviation License and the world’s first licensed black aviator. One of her life’s goals was to open a school for aviators. After her untimely death, the Bessie Coleman Aero Club was established in Los Angeles in 1929 to teach African Americans to fly. Other private flying schools also started training African-American pilots. In honor of her accomplishments, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Bessie Coleman commemorative stamp in 1995.

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