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 Wate!
             rs, 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 a...