Bessie Coleman: The First African American Pilot

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Bessie Coleman, the First African American Pilot
Bessie Coleman was born in Texas in 1892. In 1915, her family migrated to Chicago under the Great Migration of African Americans. Coleman and other black people fled to search for employment opportunities and escape racial discrimination. Although her dream was to be a pilot, she worked in a barbershop in Chicago. Coleman tried to apply to numerous aviation schools in the United States of America (USA), and all her applications were denied since she was a black woman. At that moment, there were no female pilots from the African American community. However, Coleman went to France, where she studied aviation and became the first African American woman to receive an international license. Racial discrimination was the primary issue that hindered Coleman in studying aviation in the USA, particularly since she was an African American female.
Coleman made statements that are still relevant today. She said that “the air is the only place free from prejudice. I decided blacks should not have to experience the difficulties I had faced, so I decided to open a flying school and teach black women to fly” (Aljazeera.com). Although Coleman said these words about a century ago, the USA presents various challenges to black women who want to achieve their dreams even today. Being an African American female makes it challenging for an individual to pursue her dreams. For example, before I joined the military, I wanted to be a pilot, but I did not know where to begin. In other words, it was difficult for me to get a mentor or apply to an aviation school to fulfill my dream.
Coleman was right when she said that the air is a free place with no prejudice. By that statement, she mean...