By MELVIN ANDERSON
Staff Writer
The era of aviation began in North Carolina in North Carolina on Dec. 17, 1903. But did you know that the first African American pilot was Eugene Bullard, who flew for the French Armed Forces in World War I?
The first black woman pilot in the U.S. was Bessie Coleman, who had to go to France to receive training because of racial discrimination in her native land. She was granted a license by the Federation Aeronatique Internationale on July 15, 1921.
The ascendancy of African Americans in aviation is due in no small part to Coleman’s leadership and inspiring life story. She died in a plane crash in 1926.
Melvin Anderson is a freshman and a member of ROTC. He has a strong interest in African-American history.
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