We all know of Amelia Earhart, but do you know the name of the first Black woman in the world to earn a pilot's license (which she earned two years before Earheart)?

Get to know the life of Bessie Coleman and how she overcame institutionalized racism to create a legacy of achievement for women and people of color across STEM fields. From her humble beginnings as a sharecropper to her unprecedented entry into flight school, from becoming the first licensed Black female pilot to her efforts in and out of the sky to advance social and racial justice-through it all, Coleman exhibited the same tenacity to overcome the societal limitations impressed on her due to her gender and race.

Written for students of US and women's history, this examination of Coleman's accomplishments places each milestone in its historical context, illuminating not only the world she lived in (1920s USA, France, and Germany) but also her enduring significance to the contemporary challenges women and people of color continue to face in their efforts to pursue careers in STEM. A detailed chronology, curated sidebars throughout, chronological sequencing, and a comprehensive bibliography of vetted next-step resources, make this a singular and necessary first-stop reference resource on Coleman's life and work.