Collection 1: "Women in Aviation" by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack

American aviation was from its very beginnings marred with sexist and racist assumptions.

American aviation was from its very beginnings marred with sexist and racist assumptions.

American aviation was from its very beginnings marred with sexist and racist assumptions.

Yet despite these prevailing prejudices, the dream and the desire to fly stayed alive among women and African-Americans.

Yet despite these prevailing prejudices, the dream and the desire to fly stayed alive among women and African-Americans.

Sophie Blanchard made her first solo balloon flight in 1805. She grew in fame and was eventually named official aeronaut of the empire by Napoleon.

Although Raymonde de la Roche of France was the first woman in the world to earn her pilot’s license, Harriet Quimby held the distinction of being the first American woman to become a licensed pilot.

To the male reporters who inundated her with questions, Quimby fired back answers with self-confidence.

Walking past a group of women who had come to witness the historic event, Quimby was overheard to quip with a smile and a wink: “Flying is easier than voting.”

When the war ended, a friend, Robert S. Abbott, the founder of the Chicago Defender, one of the most popular black-owned and -operated newspapers in the country, suggested that Coleman go to France, where racial prejudice was not as restrictive as it was in America.

To call attention to aviation and to encourage other women and African-Americans to take part in the new and growing field, Coleman gave flying exhibitions and lectured on aviation.

The strict rules and regulations that govern aviation today didn’t exist during the first three decades of flying. For example, it wasn’t uncommon for aviators to ignore safety belts and fly without parachutes. One of these simple safety precautions might have saved the lives of both Harriet Quimby and Bessie Coleman.