By Matiara Huff
Bessie Coleman was the first black female pilot. She was born in 1892 in Atlanta, Texas. Her story is so influential because of how she became a pilot. Coleman attempted to go to flight school in the U.S., but she couldn’t because of her race and gender. In 1922 while working as a manicurist, she taught herself French, so that she could go to flying school in France. She received she license from Caudron Brother’s School of Aviation. When she moved back to the U.S., she practiced as often as she could by participating in air shows everywhere, and eventually specialized in stunt flying and parachuting. She died in a plane crash while on her way to an airshow in Dallas, Texas. Bessie is still an inspiration to many. She was honored in 1995 by the U.S. Postal Service with a Black Heritage commemorative stamp. Bessie helped pave the way so that black people no longer have to leave the country to learn to fly.