Hear delight in these voices as the first all-female, all-black commercial flight crew made flight history.
That eventful day took place earlier this century, in 2009, but Black women have been making their marks in the skies since the earliest days of aviation.
The pride you hear from that crew is all the more poignant when you realize that “… the US Department of Labor reports that only 4.3% of the population that reports making a living as a pilot or flight engineer is female.” Only 2.7% are black. The notables who have thrived and survived in this realm are inspirational, indeed.
Women of color have a long and proud history in aviation, with flying pioneer Bessie Coleman (1892 – 1926) probably being the most famous name in that accomplished group. Bessie rose from poverty in the rural South and logged time as a manicurist before catching the fever to fly. She made her way to France where she earned her wings, taught herself French, and returned to this country to earn acclaim as a fearless, barnstorming pilot in the earliest days of aviation. She paved the way for the century of accomplished black women who have taken to the skies.
The 1920s and '30s were prime decades for those fearless enough to dare explore the new field of flight. Half a generation after Bessie Smith, two other black women flew to prominence. Willa Brown (1906-1992), the first woman to obtain a private pilot’s license in the US, went on to become the head of the Civilian Pilot Training Program in Chicago where Black pilots were chosen for the Tuskegee training program. Janet Bragg (1907-1993), became the first woman to hold a commercial pilot’s license in the United States.
In this century, the flight path to women wanting careers in flight is often found through the military. Case in point is aviatrice-turned-author, Vernice Armour. In 1993, Armour joined the US Army’s ROTC to become the first African-American female naval aviator in the Marine Corps and the first African American female combat pilot in the US Armed Forces. As an out lesbian, Armour continues to parlay her skills in the skies with workshops designed to encourage other women to fearlessly take the controls of their own destinies.
Being an astronaut, that loftiest job in the field of aviation, is an achievement reserved for women to whom math and science are the stuff of life. Ground-breaker Mae Jemison went a few steps further by becoming fluent in Japanese, Swahili, and Russian. She also made history in 1992 as the first Black woman to go into space, the first Black female astronaut in the history of NASA. She led the way for all women who aspire to out-of-this-world careers.
For more on Black women pilots who make our hearts soar, check out:
Astronauts and female pilots who made history and More than Bessie Coleman
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