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Willa Brown

Aviation
Government
Educator
Civil Rights
Activist
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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.

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Attributions
Attributions
Attributions
Birth
January 22, 1906, Glasgow, Kentucky
Death
July 18, 1992 (age 86), Chicago, Illinois
Resting Place
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Occupation
Pilot, Educator, Activist, Lobbyist
Certification(s)
License(s)
Master Aviation Mechanic's Certificate, 1935 (Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical University)
Education
Indiana State Normal School, 1927; Northwestern University, 1937 (M.A. Business Administration)
Organization(s)

・National Airmen's Association of America, founded in 1939 (co-founder & National Secretary)

・Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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*some sources say April 6, 1845

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