Bessie Coleman was the first African-American female aviator. He wowed audiences with his incredible flying skills. He was born on January 26, 1892 in a one-room cabin in Atlanta, Georgia, to his parents George Coleman and Susan Coleman. When she was two years old, her father moved to Waxahachie, Texas, where he purchased land and built a three-room house in which two more daughters were born. Education was very limited for her when she was in eighth grade. He was in a one-room school that closed when students were needed to help others pick cotton in the fields. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay After completing school, she worked as a laundress and saved her money until 1910, when she left for Oklahoma to attend Langston University. He left after a year when he ran out of money. In Waxahachie she worked as a laundress until 1915 when she moved to Chicago, Illinois, to live with her older brother. Within a couple of months he became a manicurist and continued searching until 1920 when he set his sights on becoming a pilot. He befriended several leaders of the African-American community on the South Side of Chicago and found a sponsor, Robert Abbott, who was an African-American lawyer and newspaper publisher and also founded The Chicago Defender. There were no African American aviators in those parts and where there was no white pilot as a teacher she turned to Abbot who suggested she go to France. He said the French were not racist and were leaders in aviation. Coleman subsequently went to France where he completed flight training at the best French school and obtained his Fédération Aéronautique International (FAI; international pilot's license) license on 15 June. 1921. Traveled to Europe, gaining more flying experience so he could perform air shows. In 1923 Coleman purchased a small plane but crashed on the way to his first air show. The plane was destroyed and Coleman suffered injuries that caused her to be hospitalized for three months. He returned to Chicago to recover. It took her eighteen months to find financiers for a series of shows in Texas. His performance was so successful that he later had enough money to make a down payment for a plane. Coleman left for Orlando, Florida, to benefit the Jacksonville Negro Welfare Exhibition on May 1, 1926. Her pilot William D. Wills flew her. to Orlando but had to make three forced stopovers because his plane was worn out and poorly maintained. On April 30, 1926, Wills flew the plane in a test combat while Coleman sat in the other cockpit observing the area over which he was scheduled to fly and parachute the next day. His seat belt was not fastened because he had to lean over the edge of the plane while choosing the best seats for his program. At an altitude of a thousand feet the plane split, then overturned, throwing Coleman out. Moments later the will crashed. Unfortunately both were killed. He had three memorial services in Jacksonville, Orlando and Chicago attended by thousands of people. His body was buried in Chicago's Lincoln Cemetery. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Bessie Coleman is important to the history of American and to me because she did something that most African American women at that time could not easily do because of the way they were viewed. He inspired so many African American aviators to pursue careers in aviation. He inspired so many African Americans to:.