Bessie Coleman was an American civil aviator who became the first female African-American pilot with a flight license. Growing up in poverty in a racist environment in Texas, she was interested in getting an education and often taught her siblings. She funded her own higher studies by working as a laundress with her mother and working in the cotton field. She was inspired by stories of World War I and decided to become a pilot herself. At a time, when both racism and gender inequality were major issues in the US, she was forced to travel to Europe to earn her pilot's license. Faced with limited career opportunities as a civil aviator, she worked as a barnstormer, performing stunts to raise money to establish an aviation school for black people. She could not achieve that dream as a tragic plane crash took her life. However, her story keeps inspiring young African-Americans and people all over the world who nurture hard-to-achieve dreams. A number of roads, schools, libraries and aviation clubs have been named after her to honor her accomplishments.
