Bessie Coleman Returns as First Black Licensed Pilot in the World

After being denied admission to every American flight school because of her race and gender, Bessie Coleman traveled to France and earned her international pilot's license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in June 1921—the first Black person and first Native American to hold a pilot's license. She returned to the U.S. and performed at air shows, inspiring a generation of Black aviators and insisting on performing only for desegregated audiences.