Aviation

Discover Black women's legacies month by month. Explore history's milestones and celebrate the remarkable achievements of influential figures.

Flying the friendly skies remained elusive for Black women until Bessie Coleman soared above the clouds of discrimination and earned her international pilot's license in France in 1921. Following in her footsteps, Willa Brown in 1937 and Janet Bragg in 1943 became licensed pilots in the United States. Together, these trailblazers paved the way for the indomitable women aviators of today. Inspired by these intrepid women, Black women continue to break barriers in aviation, but comprising less than 1% of all professional U.S. pilots as of 2024, much work remains to be done. ... [To Become a Pilot]

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Jan 22
January
Aviation
Government
Educator
Civil Rights
Activist
Willa Brown
Brown was the first black woman to hold both a private (1937) and commercial (1939) pilot’s license in the United States and one of the first woman to hold a commercial pilot's license and a master aviation mechanic's certificate (1935). She co-founded the Coffey School of Aeronautics where she trained thousands of pilots, nearly 200 of which became Tuskegee airmen. She was also the first black woman to run for Congress.
Kentucky
Jan 26
January
Aviation
Entrepreneur
Bessie Coleman
Texas
Mar 1
March
Military
Aviation
Madeline Swegle
 In 2020 Swegle, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, became both the U.S. Navy's second Black woman naval aviator to earn her wings of gold when she became the U.S. Navy's first Black woman tactical jet pilot.
Virginia
Mar 21
March
Educator
Aviation
Ida Van Smith
North Carolina
Mar 24
March
Aviation
Nursing
Janet Bragg
Georgia
Apr 24
April
Medicine
Military
Aviation
Science
Yvonne Cagle
Cagle (1959) is a Physician, U.S. Air Force Colonel (ret.), NASA astronaut, and educator.
New York
May 14
May
Science
Aviation
Jessica Watkins
NASA Astronaut, Geologist, Aquanaut, Athlete, Aviator, and the first Black woman to complete an International Space Station long term mission.
Maryland
Jul 24
July
Military
Aviation
Marcella Hayes Ng
Ng (1956) was the first Black woman to earn her wings in the United States Armed Forces (1979).
Missouri
Sep 29
September
Military
Aviation
Brenda E. Robinson
Brenda "Raven" Robinson (1956) is the Navy's first black woman to earn her wings of gold (June 6, 1980).
Pennsylvania
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