Bessie Coleman, born in Texas and raised in Chicago, was smitten with flight but could not pursue her dream to become a pilot in the U.S. because of her race and gender. No barrier was too great, however, one hundred years ago, on June 15, 1921 she achieved her goal by earning a pilot’s license from the French Fédération Aéronautique Internationale as the first African American and Native American pilot in the world to gain such certification. Read about Bessie Coleman “Bessie Coleman is relevant today,” said Tammera L. Holmes, Founder and CEO of The AeroStar Avion Institute. “A century ago, Bessie was shut out of aviation because she was Black, but she wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an answer.” Unable to gain work as a professional pilot due to her race and gender, she became the world’s only Black Aviatrix and refused to perform in front of segregated crowds. Her dream was to set up an aviation school for black youth to learn to fly. However, that was not realized due to her untimely death at age 34 during a show. Even now, most African Americans are not aware of the opportunities for aviation careers and do not have access to pursue them. As of 2019, only 3% of commercial pilots are African American and less than 0.5% are African American women. “Bessie still inspires the next generation to pursue their dreams,” Holmes said. And her organization AeroStar is well on their way to propelling thousands to do just that.
The industry is now demanding more diversity and inclusion, as evident by United’s recent announcement train and hire 5000 new pilots from diverse backgrounds. The event comes as the aviation and aerospace industries face acute workforce shortages with Chicago-based Boeing reporting a global industry need of 763,000 pilots and 739,000 aircraft maintenance technicians by 2039. Without broadening recruitment beyond traditional white, male pipelines, these industries will not be able to meet its workforce needs. That is why in 2016, the AeroStar Avion Institute, in partnership with The Boeing Company, implemented the K-12 AeroStars Aerospace Education Talent Pipeline Project, not only to expose youngsters in underserved communities to popular aviation careers like pilots and mechanics, but prepare them for the many STEM career opportunities in the industry including architects, engineers, computer scientists, graphic artists, entrepreneurs, tradesmen and even utility workers. “If a child has an interest in STEM, there is a place for them in aviation and there is no better time to pursue those interests than now,” Holmes continued. “The entire aviation and aerospace industry is actively working on diversity, equity and inclusion as they search for the talent they need. But we still must prepare our children to meet the workforce needs of the future and that is what this celebration is all about – to raise money to provide funding to children from underserved communities to access aviation education and take their first step on a pathway to quality, high-paying aviation careers. Our goal is to educate and train 10,000 black and brown youth over the next 10 years, and we are using Bessie’s anniversary to inspire the next 100 years of diversity and inclusion in aviation.”
The event kicks off with a Youth AeroSTEM Expo from 4:00pm – 5:30pm CST, introducing youngsters to Chicago-area aviation and STEM organizations. It then launches into a reception from 5:30pm - 7:30pm with Violator All-Sta DJ BSYDE, a video presentation of Bessie Coleman, comments by the 21st Century Bessie Coleman, Kellee Edwards, Travel Channel TV host of “Mysterious Islands,” a licensed pilot, certified scuba diver and named “the most interesting women in the world” by Outside Magazine, as well as by 11 year-old acting sensation, Master Chase W. Dillon, starring in Amazon Prime’s new hit series “Underground Railroad.” Capping the festivities will be the distribution of Bessie Coleman Awards to African Americans who have demonstrated an impact and aptitude for aviation, social justice and education. “Partnering with The AeroStar Avion Institute is a perfect role for the DuSable Museum because our missions align and serve as a point of connection between underserved communities and the historical impact the African diaspora has on American industry and culture,” said Perri Irmer, DuSable Museum CEO. “For us, it is important to increase the diversity, equity and inclusion in this vital industry so our young people can not only learn to fly but can take our entire community with them on their journey.” The celebration is coordinating events at museums around the country throughout the year, providing local communities with awareness and access to local aviation and STEM education programs. Also invited to celebrate Bessie’s Centennial are the National Air and Space Museum, Seattle’s Museum of Flight, Dayton’s National Museum of the US Air Force and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Key words: African American, pilots, aviation maintenance technicians, aviation education, STEM, STEAM, airplanes, Learn to Fly, flight, airlines, airports, AeroStar Avion, Social Justice Hashtags: #BC100 #AeroStarAvion #WingstoDreams #DusableMuseum About AeroStar Avion Institute Founded in 2016 (source LinkedIn), AeroStar Avion Institute is the only organization in the US designed to enhance, promote and support aviation and aeronautical career path opportunities from kindergarten to career, especially female, African American, Latino, underserved and at-risk students. Its mission is to increase public understanding of the importance of aviation and aerospace education, maximize academic achievement among young men and women from underserved communities and to provide a support system for any student interested in careers in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, particularly aerospace. AeroStar Avion Institute About DuSable Museum Established in 1962, the DuSable Museum of African American History is a Chicago community institution and the first non-profit Museum dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation, study and the dissemination of the history and culture of Africans and African Americans. As an educational institution, DuSable attracts school groups from Chicago and surrounding areas. More than 100,000 visitors attend or use the facility yearly. Through exhibits, educational programs, the archives, and special activities, the Museum continuously explores the African American experience and accomplishments of the past and present to further advance the education of the future. The DuSable Museum Eventbrite Registration |
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