Fenimore Street UMC Higher Education Committee

Today for #BlackHistoryMonth, we celebrate the legacy of Bessie Coleman (Jan. 26, 1892-April 30, 1926). According to the Smithsonian Insider, she was the first African American Licensed Pilot. Born to sharecroppers in Texas, Coleman worked in the cotton fields at a young age while also studying in a small segregated school. She attended one term of college at Langston University. Coleman developed an early interest in flying, but she had two strikes against her, her race and... her gender. Unable to secure flight training in the United Sates, she saved and obtained sponsorship to go to France for flight school. On June 15, 1921, Bessie Coleman received the first pilot’s license issued to an African American woman from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. She returned to the U.S. in September of 1921, and began to perform in the Chicago area, doing aerobic loops and figure eights. She was popularly known as Queen Bess and Brave Bessie. Her ultimate goal was to establish a flying school for African Americans. In 1925, she moved to Houston and performed throughout the South, drawing multicultural crowds. She had nearly reached her goal of opening a school, when on April 30, 1926, she went up for a practice flight for a May Day celebration in Jacksonville, Florida when about ten minutes into the flight, the plane crashed. It was later found that a wrench that had been used to service the engine had jammed the controls. Coleman’s brief flying career inspired many young African Americans to enter the field of aviation. Her legacy continues in the form of aviation clubs and tributes, including the 1995 U.S. postal stamp issued in her honor. Thank you, Ms. Coleman for setting the standard for us to follow. #BlackHistoryMonth #February2021 #livingblackhistory365 #youthempowerment #instruct #inspire #invest #youth #education #highereducation #blackexcellence #BlackHistoryMonth2021 #aviationlovers #pilot #firstwomanpilot #firstafricanamericanpilot #knowyourhistory #classof2021 #grateful #thankyou

Happy Monday/New Month! Wishing you a blessed day/month. Just praise Him while we have the chance. #HappyMonday #HappyNewMonth #February2021 #BlackHistoryMonth #highereducation #Instruct #inspire #invest #youth #education #blackexcellence #youthempowerment #ittakesavillage #thankyou #grateful

"For there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it." -Amanda Gorman #support #youthempowerment #highereducation #instruct #inspire #invest #youth #blackexcellence #ittakesavillage