Episode 35: Bessie Coleman Photo - U.S. Mint March 30, 2023 Bessie Coleman, the first African American and Native American woman to earn her international pilot's license. Her story is one of determination and the tenacity to say, "yes, I can do it!" From an early age Bessie Coleman's mother taught her the importance of believing in herself and striving to "become somebody." Her mother could not read, however she borrow books from a traveling library, and helped Bessie learn to read. It was a great success, because not only did Bessie learn to read, she became an avid reader and taught her siblings too. Her love of reading and ability to learn languages helped her achieve her greatest success: learning French and attending pilot training in France. Bessie Coleman, became the first African -American and Native American woman to receive her international pilot’s license in France on June 15, 1921. Bessie once said, "I guess it was the newspapers reporting on air war in Europe during World War I, that got me interested in flying. I was an avid reader, and searched the libraries looking for information on flying. I think all the articles I read finally convinced me I should be up there flying, and not just reading about it, so I started searching for a flying school. At first I thought it would be easy, just walk in and sign up. I didn't realize that I had two strikes against me. I remember hearing of a few women pilots before the war but I had never seen one. The other strike against me was my color. No one had ever heard of a black woman pilot in 1919. I refused to take no for an answer. My mother's words always gave me strength to overcome obstacles.” Bessie’s story is one filled with determination and the example of believing in yourself and taking action - that makes all the difference in the world. On this podcast I share her story, along with Dorothy Cochrane with the National Air and Space Museum, Sarah Fisher with the International Women Air & Space museum and, Gigi Coleman the great niece of Bessie Coleman. We come together to share her story and inspire others to reach for the sky and achieve their dreams. I am Annita Thomas, host of Quarter Miles Travel, a podcast all about the U.S. Mint Quarters programs, where you’ll find not only an adventure on the back of a quarter, but history, iconic Americans, wildlife and so many ways to learn more about the United States. A few facts about Bessie Coleman. Bessie Coleman was born in Atlanta, Texas on January 26, 1892. She was one of 13 children of Susan Coleman, a Black maid, and George Coleman, a sharecropper of mixed Native American and Black descent. Bessie grew up helping her mother wash laundry and pick cotton to earn money. By the time she was 18, Bessie had saved enough money to attend the Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now Langston University) in Langston, Oklahoma. She learned French at a Berlitz school in the Chicago She worked as a manicurist to earn money and save for her dream of becoming a pilot. She received additional financial support from Robert Abbott founder and editor of the Chicago Weekly Defender, along with funds from another African American entrepreneurs, so she could set off for Paris from New York on November 20, 1920. Coleman was accepted at the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France. Coleman took Abbott's advice and went to night school, and in a few months had learned enough French and saved enough money to travel to Europe. She trained in France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland and studied with the famous WWI German ace pilot, Captain Keller. She test piloted airplanes in the Netherland forAnthony Fokker , the "Flying Dutchman" On September 3, 1922, in Garden City, Long Island, she performed the first public flight in the U.S. by a Black woman. Throughout her life she was encouraged by Robert Abbott, the owner of the Chicago Defender.
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