On June 15, 1921, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale issued an international aviation license to a pilot from the United States, marking the first time any person of African-American or Native American descent attained such credentials. This achievement transformed the career trajectory of a woman who had previously worked in the cotton fields and as a Chicago manicurist.
Early Obstacles and Education
Born in Atlanta in 1892, Coleman spent her formative years in Texas, where she balanced primary education with the demands of agricultural labor. She gained early admission to the Missionary Baptist Church School and later attended a single term at Langston University. Lacking the financial means to complete her degree, she relocated to Chicago in 1915, seeking opportunities within the city's burgeoning labor market while listening to accounts from returning World War I pilots.
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Faced with American flight schools that excluded both women and Black applicants, Coleman pursued instruction abroad. She mastered the French language before traveling to Paris in 1920. Enrolling in the Caudron School of Aviation, she trained in Nieuport 82 biplanes. She subsequently refined her expertise through advanced courses in France, the Netherlands, and Germany, where she consulted with aircraft designer Anthony Fokker and received flight instruction from industry professionals.
Stunt Flying and Public Profile
Returning to the United States, Coleman navigated a landscape where commercial aviation remained underdeveloped. She turned to barnstorming, performing aerial maneuvers at exhibitions to secure her livelihood. Known for operating surplus military aircraft such as the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, she debuted at a 1922 event in Long Island. Throughout the early 1920s, she maintained a presence in the national media, performing displays including loops and low-altitude maneuvers until her death in a plane crash in Jacksonville in 1926.
Fast facts
- Born: 1892, Atlanta
- Died: 1926, Jacksonville
- Citizenship: United States
- Education: Langston University, Caudron School of Aviation
- Key Recognition: National Women's Hall of Fame (2001)
- Key Recognition: National Aviation Hall of Fame (2006)
- Burial Site: Lincoln Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What aviation milestone did she achieve?
She was the first African-American woman and first Native American to earn an international pilot's license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
How did she finance her pilot training?
She saved wages from her work as a manicurist and a restaurant manager, and secured additional sponsorships from the Chicago Defender newspaper and banker Jesse Binga.
Achievements
- National Women's Hall of Fame — 2001
- National Aviation Hall of Fame — 2006
- Educated at Langston University and Caudron School of Aviation
- Worked as aircraft pilot, human rights defender and stunt pilot
