African Americans on Postage Stamps

Flight: Bessie Coleman

32-cent Bessie Coleman stamp
The Bessie Coleman stamp was issued on April 27, 1995.

Bessie Coleman was the first African American to receive a pilot's license, which she earned in France after being denied entry into flight schools in the United States. She returned to the United States and performed in air shows as a stunt flyer. Her goal was to establish a flight school for African-Americans, but she died tragically in a plane crash on April 30, 1926, before she could realize her dream.

The Black Experience