First Public Flight by an African American Woman in the U.S.

On September 3, 1922, Bessie Coleman made her triumphant American airshow debut at Curtiss Field on Long Island, New York. The event, organized in part to honor veterans of the all-Black 369th Infantry Regiment (the famed 'Harlem Hellfighters') who had served with distinction in World War I, marked what is recognized as the first public flight performed by an African American woman in the United States.

Having earned her international pilot's license in France the previous year, Coleman returned to the U.S. determined to become a professional exhibition flyer, but she first had to complete additional advanced training in aerobatics and stunt flying in Europe, as American instructors and airfields largely remained closed to her. Her debut flight was sponsored by the Chicago Defender, whose publisher Robert S. Abbott had been instrumental in supporting her earlier training.

Before an admiring and racially mixed crowd, Coleman demonstrated remarkable skill in a Curtiss JN-4 'Jenny' biplane, performing figure-eights, loops, and daring near-ground dips that captivated audiences and press alike. The event catapulted her into national prominence and earned her widespread recognition as 'Queen Bess.'

This historic flight opened the door for her subsequent barnstorming career across the United States, during which she used her platform to advocate for civil rights and to inspire African Americans, especially women and children, to pursue aviation despite the discrimination of the era.