Bessie Coleman was a pioneering African American aviator who became the first woman of African American and Native American descent to hold a pilot's license. Born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, Coleman faced racial and gender discrimination when she tried to pursue her dream of becoming a pilot in the United States. Unable to find a flight school that would admit her, Coleman traveled to France in 1920 to enroll in the Caudron Brothers School of Aviation.

After earning her pilot's license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale on June 15, 1921, Coleman returned to the United States and began performing as a stunt pilot in air shows to earn a living and inspire other African Americans to pursue careers in aviation. She was known for her daredevil maneuvers and became a popular figure in the aviation community.

Tragically, Coleman's life was cut short when she died in a plane crash on April 30, 1926, during a rehearsal for an air show. Despite her untimely death, Bessie Coleman's legacy as a groundbreaking aviator and pioneer for African American women in aviation lives on, inspiring generations of future pilots and aviation enthusiasts.