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Bessie
Coleman received her license to fly on June 15, 1921,
from the Federation Aeronautique International after
completing her course of study at the Ecole d'Aviation
des Freres Caudron at Le Crotoy in the Somme. She was
the first woman to earn an international Aviation License
and the worlds first licensed black aviator taking on
this challenge before the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Bessie's
dream was to teach African Americans to fly.
On June 15th, [the same day that Bessie Coleman received
her license] the members of the Bessie Coleman Foundation
will stand with the Chicago Defender to commemorate
Bessie Colemans historic journey to France. The next
day, Thursday, June 16, 2005, members, supporters and
friends of the Bessie Coleman Foundation will fly to
Paris to combine the celebration of the Foundation's
10th anniversary with a public acknowledgment of their
sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for the French
flight school taking the historic step of teaching Bessie
Coleman how to fly.
Dr. Clarence Nixon, President and CEO of the Chicago
Defender, will host a press conference and offer Bo
voyage to the thirty plus women aviators and their supporters
at the Chicago Defenders office located at 2400 Michigan
Avenue on Wednesday, June 15th at 8:00 a.m. It was at
the behest of Chicago Defender Founder and Editor Robert
Abbott that Bessie Coleman learned to speak French and
made her initial trip from Chicago to France in 1919.
While in Chicago, the BCF will present a series of commemorative
materials and displays honoring the accomplishments
of Bessie Coleman to the DuSable Museum of African American
History.
The Bessie Coleman Foundation will visit Le Muse des
Frres Caudron in Ville de Rue, France on Friday, June
17, 2005, to offer a gesture of gratitude for the hospitality
and instruction they showed Bessie Coleman almost a
century ago. A reception will be held by the Tourism
Office of Ville de Rue for the Bessie Coleman Foundation
and representatives from Le Musee des Freres Caudron.
Congruent with their goals to both help people gain
access to available resources for advancement in the
field of aviation as well as honor and celebrate the
achievements of African Americans in the field of aviation,
and amidst the declining number of Black Female pilots,
the Bessie Coleman Foundation renews its commitment
to keep airborne the vision of the woman for whom they
are named.
Joining the foundations efforts are several supporting
sponsors -- The Link, Incorporated, an international
organization of women of African descent, The Coca-Cola
Company, Lockheed Martin, Air Tran Airways and Federal
Express. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a cooperating
sponsor; and Delta Air Lines is our presenting sponsor.
Bessie Coleman died after falling out of an open cockpit
door during a test flight in which her mechanic was
flying. But, prior to her death, Coleman made clear
that she wanted it to be easy for other African Americans
to learn how to fly. This is the legacy of the Bessie
Coleman Foundation.
For further information, please visit the Bessie Coleman
Foundation website at www.bessiecolemanfoundation.org
PRESS CONTACT: Bunnie Jackson-Ransom, 404-505-8188 or
404-226-8000 (cell), bhr@fclassinc.com
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