Bessie Coleman Black Aviatrix Essay Research Paper

Bessie Coleman: Black Aviatrix Essay, Research Paper

Elizabeth Bessie Coleman is an unknown figure in American history. At first, she complied with society s standard of job opportunities for women at the turn of the century by working as a domestic and later a manicurist (Creasman 162-3). After feeling unfulfilled, she turned to flying. The search for flying lessons by an African American in the 1920 s alone could have discouraged anyone, but not Bessie. Her dream was to open a flight school where young African American men could learn how to fly. This was a bold endeavor for any person regardless of race. After acquiring an international pilot s license, she became somewhat of a novelty. She was African American, a woman, and a pilot. Realizing her power as an attraction, she would only fly in air shows with the understanding that they not be segregated (Freydberg 91). Bessie was very intelligent, often surrounding herself with women and men of power. Examples being Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Josephine Baker, Ethel Waters, Bill Bojangles Robinson, Robert Abbott, Miriam A. Ma Ferguson, and Kojo Touvalou-Houenou. Ms. Coleman was also active in both the NAACP, and Marcus Garvey s Universal Negro Improvement Association (Freydberg 28). She also attended the Second Pan African Congress, which was held by W.E.B. du Bois (Freydberg 28). Bessie Coleman s should not be considered as a novelty, but as a person who fought for the equal rights of African American and women.

Bessie Coleman was born on January 20th, 1896 in Atlanta, Texas. In many historical and biographical accounts her birth year appears as either 1892 or 1893, which ever suited her needs. Her mother Susan was African American, and her father George was three quarters Choctaw Indian and one quarter African (Salzman 606). The combination of ancestry gave Ms. Coleman her copper colored skin tone. Within two years the Coleman family packed up and made the trek 30 miles south of Dallas to Waxahachie, Texas (Mabunda 61). There was more or less a separate community within Waxahachie where blacks established their own religious, commercial, and social institutions, which was very common at the turn of the century (Rich 5). This move was made to lessen the effects of discrimination and to find better job opportunities, neither of which panned out. Experiencing tremendous discrimination, George Coleman decided to return to Indian Country in Oklahoma. By moving there, he told Susan that they would enjoy the full rights of citizens (Rich 8). Her reply was that she was neither pioneer nor squaw, so George Coleman made the move alone (Rich 8). Bessie Coleman was seven years old.

At this point, it is easy to see that her mother had a tremendous influence on her. Wanting a better future for her family, Susan Coleman would save up any money possible to obtain books from a library wagon. She would have her children read the bible as well as attend church. As soon as Bessie learned how to read she was assigned a reading from the Bible every night after dinner (Rich 9). Her reading also incorporated works on African American heroes including Booker T. Washington, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and Harriet Tubman. After reading Uncle Tom s Cabin, she announced that I ll never be a Topsy or an Uncle Tom (Rich 11). Susan Coleman also studied her white employers and instructed her children how to emulate them. This would only serve to help Bessie in the future.

After completing all eight grades in Texas, Bessie moved on to the Colored Agricultural and Normal University in Langston, Oklahoma. With little money, she was forced to withdraw. She soon made a familiar journey for African Americans by moving north. The Great Migration, was a term used to describe the vast exodus of African Americans from the rural south to the industrialized north. This occurred before and during World War I. When many European Americans left for battle, the demand for laborers, especially in wartime, increased at an alarming rate. Strapped for workers, businesses opened their doors to African Americans, many for the first time. Bessie lived with her brother Johnny who was a cook for Al Capone (Freydberg 69). She went to school to become a manicurist, which led to two jobs (Malveaux 34). Both were at barbershops on State Street. State Street was known as The Stroll. The Stroll, was the black Wall Street and Broadway it was downtown, with an ethnic view (Rich 20). Here is where Bessie would meet entertainers such as Josephine Baker, Ethel Waters, Alberta Hunter, and Bill Bojangles Robinson. Josephine Baker also shared Bessie s view on equality by refusing to perform in nightclubs unless African Americans were admitted (Freydberg 119). It was at this time that Bessie Coleman turned her full attention to flying.

Bessie s brother John walked in to the barbershop where she worked one day. He began to tease her and tell her stories about when he was in the military in France. He told her that while in France he saw French women working on, and even flying airplanes. John stated that there was no way an African American woman could do that (Rich 26). Bessie promptly replied, That s it You just called it for me (Rich 27). Although it sounded spontaneous, Bessie had been contemplating flying for some time. She had read about the exploits of World War I aces and they intrigued her. This was the spark that lit her flame.

Finding someone, a white som