Bessie Coleman: Fly! Bessie, Fly! Portrayed By Daisy Century

100 North 19th Street,Camp Hill PA 17011

17 January, 2022

Description

Bessie Coleman was a woman who refused to submit. The first African-American woman to become a licensed airplane pilot and the first American to hold an international pilot license, Bessie Coleman was a woman who refused to submit. Born in Texas and raised on a farm, she loved school and walked four miles every day to attend a one-room all-black school through 8th grade. Working with her mother and two sisters, she did laundry, cleaned homes, and picked cotton to earn money so she could finish her education. At age 18, she enrolled in the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural Normal University, but she only had enough money for one year. Traveling north to Chicago to live with her brothers, she heard stories from pilots returning from World War I and decided to become a pilot. After applying to three American aviation schools that refused to teach her, this smart, naturally-gifted woman didn't give up. Learning enough French to get by, she enrolled in a French school, the only black person in the class, and finished the 10-month course in 8 months! Seating is limited and registration is required. Register beginning December 1.