1 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to stuff 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: I never told you protection of I heart Radio. And 3 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: today we're doing another female first, which means we are 4 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: once again joined by our good friend and co worker 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: Eve's welcome Eaves. Hey, y'all, always a pleasure, so happy 6 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: to have you. Um, how how are you doing? What's up? 7 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: I feel okay right now. I'm like trying to make 8 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: sure that I assessed that question correctly every time somebody 9 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: asked me. Okay, Like it's been pretty dreary for these 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,480 Speaker 1: last couple of days, um in Atlanta, But I mean 11 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: it's nice. You know, I've still gotten some hammock time 12 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: in and me I'm doing what I can with the 13 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: tools that I have. Did you do the read aloud? 14 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: I know you did all Instagram's story about and I'll 15 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: try to keep keep up. Make sure I wanted to 16 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: be a part of it. I think I missed it. It 17 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: It I missed it. You did not miss it. Okay. 18 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: So backstory here is that I come across all sorts 19 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: of like really racist and all the books, and like 20 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:18,040 Speaker 1: whenever I find one that's particularly strange or like funny, Um, 21 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: I like just like take pictures in them sometimes and 22 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: there's this one like that's about the old self, and 23 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: it's like about the like Confederacy and and and all 24 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: those good things. You heard it here. I I recorded 25 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: the I did record it. I did do the dramatic reading. 26 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:38,479 Speaker 1: But I need to edit it, okay, So I gotta 27 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 1: I gotta get in premiere edited and then I will 28 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: post it. Okay, all right, So be on the look out. 29 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: You better be following a Us on Instagram. I'm so 30 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: you can get that, because I'm I'm quite excited. Yeah, 31 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: to be honest, like Andy, you asked me, how I am, 32 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: Like that's one of the things that gives me joy, 33 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: Like as long as I'm able to continue creating things 34 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: that I just like I want to create, like I 35 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: have absolutely no reason to do it, but like so 36 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: much crap is going on in the world right now 37 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: that like if I can continue like storytelling and creating 38 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: and like making odd things that fulfill me in ways 39 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 1: that have nothing to do with work, then I feel 40 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: a lot better. So right, well, I'm excited, Like I said, 41 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: like I needed I need to know I didn't miss 42 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: I have a whole I have a whole, a whole 43 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: thing coming it's going to have like stop video and 44 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: if if I if I decided to have enough fun 45 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: with it, I'll probably do it some more because I 46 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: have more awful books than I'm sure I could pull 47 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: something out of and hopefully, well it's not like anybody 48 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 1: would care about it anyway, but it's not my work, 49 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: so technically it's probably violating something. But okay, yeah, so 50 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 1: don't don't tell us. Yeah, listen, I don't tell those 51 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: public podcasts right on this, on this extremely public podcast, 52 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,239 Speaker 1: we're literally telling thousands of people that this thing is happening. Well, 53 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: what I was gonna say is, I don't think there's 54 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: much of a cross section with your audience versus like 55 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: really right for the South and the Confederacy. I don't 56 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: think so. If that's yes, well that's exciting, and I'm excited. 57 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: I love a good dramatic reading, and I'm excited to 58 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: hear your dramatic reading voice, Eves. I think I've heard 59 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: it before, but I love it solid. I really hope 60 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: there's a lot of Southern accident into it. Like it, 61 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: Oh God, you have the Antebellum Southern accident happening in there, 62 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: because I know it's really bad. It's a really bad accent. 63 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: I did do an accent and it's awful, so it's 64 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: really like it's a bad like I was my like 65 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: my husband was helping me out with it, and he 66 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: was like, oh, like you know, I was like, how 67 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: have I lived in the South for so long? And 68 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: like not like I don't know how to do a 69 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: Southern accent. I'm like I am. I was born in Columbia, 70 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: South Carolina and raised in Georgia, and somehow, somehow I 71 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: still do a caricature of the southern aximent, Like I don't. 72 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: I am the same. I am the exact same, And 73 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: a lot of times I'll get called in for auditions 74 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: where they want a Southern excident and what I think 75 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 1: they mean is actually not a Southern ax like the 76 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: TV version of a Southern But I can't even do that, 77 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: Like I just sound ridiculous. So I hear you. All 78 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:26,799 Speaker 1: you have to do is get me on my phone 79 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: with my mother and in the that there it is 80 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: and it's not. It's not cute Southern accident. There's no 81 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: Southern bell. It is southern Appalachian mountain. And if you 82 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: get me going with my parents, it gets a lot worse. 83 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: It's really funny because I'm the immigrant of this group here, 84 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:46,600 Speaker 1: like I came when I was seven, eight seven years old, 85 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: eight years old from Korea. I'm the one that's got 86 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:54,280 Speaker 1: the thing accent. Somehow you're graced with it. I will 87 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: say that. I just say, I do declare, and that's 88 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: all I've got. Um there it is. So you're welcome, listeners. 89 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: Maybe one day we'll just do bad Southern access throughout 90 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: and then we'll lose all of our listeners. Um, but 91 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: not today, not today. I am so excited about the 92 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: story you brought for this one is it is just amazing, 93 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,599 Speaker 1: an amazing story. So who did you bring for us today? 94 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 1: We're gonna be talking about Bessie Coleman, who was an 95 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: aviator or a via tricks as they still love to 96 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: ginger things. Um that's what they called her. So yeah, 97 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: she was the first black American woman and Native American 98 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: woman to earn a pilot's license. And she made away 99 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: just like so many people that we talk about here 100 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:46,159 Speaker 1: who are pioneering, um women like made away where there 101 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 1: was no way before them. And that's definitely what Bessie 102 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: Coleman did. Yeah, and and to to hint to tease 103 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,280 Speaker 1: at what's to come. The way she got into piloting 104 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: I related to so much, and I was like, oh, 105 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: this says I would have been friends with you. Okay, 106 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: so we have to hear about it when the time comes. Yeah. 107 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:13,040 Speaker 1: I mean essentially it's sibling rivalry, right, that's what you know, 108 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 1: just a small bit like she had to be a 109 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 1: big influence to Amelia Earhart. Like when I was reading 110 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: the timeline, I was like, oh, dang, Like even though 111 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: that's the that's the bigger name. She pre dates and 112 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: did some amazing things before Amelia actually became a part 113 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,840 Speaker 1: of this group. So I was like, ha, she is 114 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: a trend setter. Definitely. I think everything that that people 115 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: have brought up and talking about her story and that 116 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:40,919 Speaker 1: it can come to be seen after, you know, we 117 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: talked about her story and everything is that she might 118 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:48,160 Speaker 1: not have gotten as much recognition as she earned during 119 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: her lifetime from the people who there were people who 120 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: supported her and who encouraged her, but um a lot 121 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: of the commemoration of her came after her lifetime, even 122 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: though that she was a trailblazer in a pioneer while 123 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 1: she was alive. So yeah, Yeah, I'm excited. Yeah, shall 124 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: we get into it. Let's do it cool. Cool. So. 125 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: She was born January eighteen ninety two in Atlanta, Texas. 126 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: She was one of thirteen children, though some of those 127 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: children didn't survive through childhood. Her parents were George and 128 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: Susan Coleman, and her mother was a domestic worker. Her 129 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: father was a sharecropper, and her father was also part 130 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 1: Black and Native American. So when she was around two 131 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: years old, her father moved the family to Waxahatchie, Texas. 132 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 1: So there he bought a little bit of land around 133 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: a quarter acre, and he built a home for them. 134 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: But in nineteen o one, her father decided to move 135 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: back to a reservation in Oklahoma, his home state. And 136 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: the way they presented is like, you know, he was 137 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: dealing with obviously, as so many black people were in 138 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: the South, um dealing with a lot of racism, dealing 139 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: with discrimination, and he wanted to make a at a 140 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: way for himself. So he went out there to the reservation. 141 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: He moved without his family to hopefully hopefully there's it's 142 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: like you can't escape it, like literally anywhere in the world, 143 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: but hopefully face less discrimination and the family state in Texas. 144 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: So Bessie went to a segregated one room school house 145 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: as a child, and she had to walk four miles 146 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: to get to school. And I feel like I hear 147 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: this so often. Like I also feel like I'm pretty 148 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: privileged as a suburban quite who could get on the 149 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 1: bus in a certain time, you know, and like go 150 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: to school. But I hear so many stories from my family, 151 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 1: you know, from other people's families talking about I walked 152 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: this dirt road this movie miles and it took me 153 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: this long to get to school. And I'm like, I'm 154 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: staying at home. But it's like that that that's the 155 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: case for so many people back then, um and also 156 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:53,959 Speaker 1: the case for just other people who have long tricks, 157 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 1: you know, to be able to get to have an education. 158 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: When when that even comes to like having to get 159 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: on this bus to go to this bus, to go 160 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,719 Speaker 1: to this bus. But anyway, and that's one of those like, 161 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: you know, I feel like really storied things to the say, 162 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: this person want this mini miles to get to school. 163 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 1: But that is what she did. And once she got 164 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: to school, she was kind of known for being good 165 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: at math, and her mother picked cotton Um she watched laundry. 166 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:22,440 Speaker 1: Over those years, she had really a lot of domestic 167 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: work jobs. Um, she did that to support the family, 168 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:27,959 Speaker 1: and Bessie would help out in those ways, and she 169 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: would also run the household when her mom was at work. 170 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,320 Speaker 1: Sometimes she even missed school to help take care of 171 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: her younger siblings. And yeah, so that work, you know, 172 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: taking care of family, raising family, um, all of that, 173 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:44,319 Speaker 1: you know, to be able to make a living and 174 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: also to live with some sort of comfort at the 175 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 1: time where things that she grew up and we don't 176 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 1: have to I mean, obviously I don't want to make 177 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: any assumptions, but like this was a certain time in 178 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: the United States. This was the early nineteen hundreds, um, 179 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: late eighteen hundreds to early nineteen hundreds. So obviously discrimination, 180 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:06,440 Speaker 1: racial trauma, racism, like all of that was part of 181 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 1: the environment that she grew up in. UM. So yeah, 182 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: so she started saving money through her work to further 183 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 1: her education. And in nineteen Tannish she enrolled in a 184 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: preparatory school at the Agricultural and Normal University in Langston, Oklahoma. 185 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 1: So she was there for like a semester and she 186 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 1: ran out of money pretty quickly. So she left the school, 187 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:33,320 Speaker 1: went back to Texas, started doing liundry to be able 188 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: to make money and support herself. But after a few 189 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: years she decided to leave life as a domestic worker 190 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: and she joined her brother Walter in Chicago. So this 191 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: is around the time you were talking about she was 192 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: getting some of that influence from her brothers who were 193 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:51,680 Speaker 1: coming back from war, who were telling all these stories 194 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: about France and about the things that women had in France. 195 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: I wasn't thinking about well, a little bit like a 196 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: viation may have come into some in some ways to 197 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: influence her, her reading about it, her brother's telling her 198 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 1: about it. But when she got to Chicago, she first 199 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: pursued like manicuring. She trained as a manicurist, took a 200 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: job at a barber shop and did manicures there. But 201 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,439 Speaker 1: these brothers who had come back from the military were 202 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: really influencing her. So while she was working as a manicurist, 203 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: when her brothers came back, you know, talking all these 204 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:30,079 Speaker 1: things about what it's like overseas and teasing her about 205 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: her job and saying that women in France has so 206 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: many more opportunities, but like black women didn't have those 207 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 1: opportunities in the US. Women in France could fly and 208 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: black women in the US would never be able to fly, 209 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: and so she was getting influence in that way from 210 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: all these stories. And so like as you said, Annie, Um, 211 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,600 Speaker 1: you said, you have something similar happened to you. What 212 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: is what's that about? Oh? Oh, oh my gosh. Well 213 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:57,719 Speaker 1: I just relate so much too sibling rivalry because I 214 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:03,559 Speaker 1: have two brothers and we just, oh, we were very 215 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 1: very competitive. I usually didn't play all these pranks, but 216 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: they played a lot of pranks on me. But I've 217 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:13,719 Speaker 1: I've often said, for better or worse, I'm somehow I 218 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: would say I'm kind, but I'm very spiteful. And so 219 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: like if someone told me, if one of my brothers 220 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: was like, you're never going to be able to do this, 221 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: I don't care if I want to do it or not. 222 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: Now I'm gonna do it, Like I just I have 223 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:34,560 Speaker 1: many instances of things that I've learned are like hobbies 224 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 1: that I've picked up, are skills that I did because 225 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 1: my brothers told me I couldn't do it and they 226 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,320 Speaker 1: wouldn't play like that. You know, girls can't do that 227 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:48,280 Speaker 1: kind of thing, and I'd be like, nope, I will 228 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: do it's exactly. You also were good at math growing up. 229 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: So I feel like this is one more part of 230 00:12:54,200 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: the story. Good friends, maybe schoolmates. I related to your 231 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 1: so much. I was like, yep, I will learn a language. 232 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 1: I will go to a different country spoiler alert. I 233 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,160 Speaker 1: just I love that so much that she's like her 234 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:14,960 Speaker 1: brothers are like, oh, you can't do it here, and 235 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: she's like, oh really. That's also her attitude and everything, 236 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 1: not just against her brother just like society and itself. 237 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,440 Speaker 1: She's like, watch me, I will go to great lengths 238 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: to prove you wrong. Right. Yeah, definitely, that's cool. I 239 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:34,839 Speaker 1: like that that connection is there. We have some more 240 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:36,719 Speaker 1: of this amazing story for you listeners, but first we 241 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:51,880 Speaker 1: have a quick break for words from our sponsor and 242 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 1: we're back. Thank you sponsor. So yeah, like an he says, 243 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:59,079 Speaker 1: she did decide to pursue a career in aviation. She 244 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:01,320 Speaker 1: wanted to learn how a fly, She wanted to get 245 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 1: a pilot's license, and obviously there wasn't precedent for that 246 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,080 Speaker 1: for black women in the United States at the time, 247 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: and it was still really early for white women in 248 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: the United States as well. There were white women aviators, 249 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,239 Speaker 1: um and it was in nineteen eleven when Harriett Quimby 250 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: became the first American woman to earn a pilot's license. 251 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: She was a white woman, but women pilots were still 252 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 1: few and far between, and there weren't any black American 253 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: women who had a pilot's license yet. She applied to 254 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:35,520 Speaker 1: aviation schools um but her applications in the US were 255 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: rejected because they didn't want to teach a black woman. 256 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: There was Robert s Abbott who comes up in her 257 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 1: story as a person who was a benefactor who supports 258 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: her and encourages her throughout her journey to become an 259 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: a via tricks. You know what I'm I'm using gendered 260 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: a via tricks here just because I like the way 261 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: it sounds. I'm not like, it sounds like a different 262 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 1: thing than aviator, Like aviatrix sounds like you're doing you're above, 263 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: Like it's a step above aviator or something like the 264 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: academic version. Yeah, you know what I mean. Like it's 265 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: like investorship that's beyond just knowing aviation. I created this. 266 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: It reminds me of Dominatrix too, so that I'm choosing 267 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: to flip back and forth between I like it's a 268 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: good word, just a hit. So he was the editor 269 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: and a publisher of the newspaper, the Chicago Defender, which 270 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:32,640 Speaker 1: was a black newspaper. He was black and he was 271 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 1: friends with her supported her, and she told him about 272 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 1: her dream of becoming an aviator, and he really supported that, 273 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: and he suggested that she learned French and applied to 274 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 1: flying schools in France, and she did just that. She 275 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 1: saved her money, she got money from people to help 276 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: finance her goal of going overseas to learn to fly, 277 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 1: and then in November of nineteen twenties she left the 278 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 1: US went to Europe when an ocean liner, and once 279 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,239 Speaker 1: she got to France, she enrolled at a school of aviation. 280 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: There she learned to fly under French and German instructors, 281 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 1: and she learned to fly a Newport Type eight two biplane. 282 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 1: So they were rough. Obviously these were early years. There 283 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: wasn't a steering wheel or brakes, just to like big 284 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: wooden stick to control the plane and a rudder bar 285 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: under the pilot's feet. And yeah, she went through school 286 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:28,640 Speaker 1: and she got her pilot's license on June from the 287 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 1: World Air Sports Federation and that enabled her to fly 288 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: around the world. So that's her first you know, she 289 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,240 Speaker 1: she does that in a different country, and when she 290 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: gets back to the US, there is a little bit 291 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: of press about her. But as she's over there, you know, 292 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: who knows what's going on? Um in the US. But 293 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: at this point, that's when she becomes the first black 294 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: American woman to get a pilots license. She spent a 295 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: couple more months in France before she did go back 296 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: to the US getting some more flying lessons. But she 297 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: returned in September and there were black newspapers and industry 298 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: journals that wrote about her. They had they touted her 299 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,680 Speaker 1: as the first black woman to become an aviator. UM. 300 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 1: I love again with the wording, like they had headlines 301 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: like first Negress aviatrix and reported that she planned to 302 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: start exhibition flying in the US pretty soon. But you know, 303 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: she realized she canna make Like how am I going 304 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:29,360 Speaker 1: to make money from flying? Now that I know how 305 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 1: to fly? Which is always the thing. Um And I 306 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:35,959 Speaker 1: love that she just like without abandoned, like went for it, 307 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:37,560 Speaker 1: you know, and was like god back, I was like, 308 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:39,200 Speaker 1: oh no, I need to figure out how the hell 309 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,199 Speaker 1: I'm gonna make money from this. But Yeah, so she 310 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: realized that she had to become a barn stormer to 311 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: make money flying. And so barn storming was something that 312 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,679 Speaker 1: was popular in the US in the twenties, in the 313 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: nineteen twenties, and that's when pilots will perform stunts on airplanes. 314 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: That this kind of came about with planes specifically because 315 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: after World War ended, there was all these pilots who 316 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 1: were trying to figure out a way to make money. 317 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 1: Now they had they wanted to figure out what to 318 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: do with the thing that they love how to do 319 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: UM and the US also had surplus airplanes, so they 320 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,680 Speaker 1: would go to rural areas and they would do stunts 321 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 1: and air shows and they would make a little money 322 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:23,880 Speaker 1: through that. They would fly through barn doors, they would 323 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,479 Speaker 1: walk on airplane wings, and of course, over time, you know, 324 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 1: things became more daredevili like the stakes were up and 325 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: they're like, oh, this is enough of flying on airplane wings. 326 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 1: You know, now it's time to parachute, you know, all 327 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:39,199 Speaker 1: this stuff and became pretty competitive. UM and it was 328 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:41,120 Speaker 1: an area that was open to women and to black 329 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,960 Speaker 1: people in the US. And so this meant that obviously 330 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 1: not meaning that there were no impediments, you know, to 331 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: being able to become to be able to fly. I 332 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,919 Speaker 1: mean she went to a different country. So but this 333 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: meant that Bessie would need more lessons, So she went 334 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 1: back to your learned more in the Netherlands, France and Germany, 335 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: and she stayed there for some months and then was 336 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,960 Speaker 1: back in the US by August of nineteen. She made 337 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: her first appearance in an air show in New York 338 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: and Long Island that was sponsored by the Chicago Defender. 339 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 1: There was an article about the event that said she 340 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 1: was quote the greatest flyer of her sex in the world, 341 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: which um was the bold statement. But yeah, they kind 342 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: of played up the event, you know, like needed to 343 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: get people to come, as you often needed to do 344 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 1: in fields that was that were so competitive. There were 345 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: other pilots in the show, and she soon went to 346 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:43,159 Speaker 1: Chicago to perform again. She did stuff stunts and tricks 347 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:46,760 Speaker 1: in her flying like figure eight. She did loops and 348 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 1: other kinds of tricks. And as she did exhibition flights, 349 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:54,399 Speaker 1: there were more newspaper articles on her, and of course 350 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:59,879 Speaker 1: something like press is important and creating you know, the 351 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 1: mystique around you and gaining an audience to be able 352 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: to have spectators at your events, especially as a black woman. UM, 353 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 1: obviously God like to say this even is like this 354 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:13,560 Speaker 1: is this is what happens so often. But but the 355 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,879 Speaker 1: novelty in being the black woman was part of her story. 356 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 1: But you had to attract attention and to pick up press. 357 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:22,639 Speaker 1: She still had to play her character up. So the 358 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: black press printed a lot of praise about her, but 359 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: their mainstream, white owned press still didn't give her as 360 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:33,280 Speaker 1: much attention. So Flying trying to make away there figured 361 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:35,679 Speaker 1: out how she was going to sustain her life and 362 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:38,120 Speaker 1: be able to put food on her table through that. 363 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,560 Speaker 1: But she did at one point decided to branch off 364 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: into acting. She was offered a role in a film 365 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:50,239 Speaker 1: called Shadow and Sunshine UM that would be produced by 366 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,880 Speaker 1: the African American Seminal Film Company, and she did accept 367 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: but she ended up backtracking on that acceptance and turning 368 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:03,199 Speaker 1: down the role because basically she wasn't here for the 369 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,199 Speaker 1: role that it was the opening scene. She was going 370 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: to be in raggedy clothes, she was going to have 371 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 1: a walking stick and a pack, and that kind of 372 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: depiction of this like wide, I like ignorant, you know, 373 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 1: type of girls showing up in New York. She wasn't 374 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 1: here for she founded degrading and she didn't want to 375 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:24,360 Speaker 1: do the quote unquote Uncle Tom's stuff. It's what she said. Um. 376 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: And there were people at Billboard and at the film 377 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: company who denounced her. She there was a film critic 378 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 1: and a calumnist, J. Jackson, who said, quote miss Coleman 379 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: is originally from Texas, and some of her southern dialect 380 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,680 Speaker 1: and mannerism still cling to her. He also said that 381 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 1: the actor replacing her was experienced and has quote unmistakable culture. 382 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, so Um, clearly that drew a rift between 383 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:56,200 Speaker 1: her and the producers, and that pitted her as the angry, 384 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:58,680 Speaker 1: the out of line black woman, you know, who wasn't 385 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 1: respectable or smart enough, wasn't polite enough, wasn't you know, 386 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:08,280 Speaker 1: good enough, and like it was unnecessary for her to 387 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: act the way that she did, even if she felt 388 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:13,720 Speaker 1: that that was something that she had to do on principle. 389 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: So yeah, she didn't get another film role after that. Um. 390 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: That could have made her a lot of money, which 391 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:23,239 Speaker 1: is something that she needed. Like that comes up a 392 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 1: lot in her life. Well, of course, like we all 393 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:28,200 Speaker 1: need money, but like you know, to be able to 394 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,200 Speaker 1: fulfill her dreams. That could have been something a path 395 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: for her to be able to sustain herself better than 396 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,199 Speaker 1: just like a mode of living. That meant, you know, 397 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: I can live, but there is no comfort and I 398 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: can't necessarily fulfill on my dreams. But that was okay. 399 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:44,399 Speaker 1: You know, she had other goals too. She still, of 400 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 1: course loved flying, and she was fulfilled in that way, 401 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,239 Speaker 1: but she also wanted to open a flight school for 402 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:55,679 Speaker 1: black students, and she needed the money, so she worked 403 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:59,360 Speaker 1: for Coast Tire and Rubber Company in California. She used 404 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:02,199 Speaker 1: that money she made to purchase the biplane because she 405 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: also wanted to own her own plane. UM and she did. 406 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,679 Speaker 1: She she achieved that it was an old Curtis j 407 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: N four that was four hundred dollars. Here's a part 408 00:23:13,359 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 1: of her character, like she often lied and exaggerated her story, 409 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,600 Speaker 1: you know, to kind of up her appearance and you know, 410 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: make things look better on her end. And she told 411 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: reporters when she got that as she ordered three planes 412 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:32,640 Speaker 1: rather than one. UM when she told him she wanted 413 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 1: to open an aviation school. And so she would say 414 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: things like this when she thought it would work in 415 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,440 Speaker 1: her favor and to help her get the things done 416 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 1: that she wanted to get doing, like, for instance, she 417 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 1: would also say there's also instances of her saying that 418 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,879 Speaker 1: she was younger than she actually was, like when she 419 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 1: was thirty two, she would say she was twenty three, 420 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: you know, or things like that. But she though this 421 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:57,040 Speaker 1: paid off and did get her attention, she didn't necessarily 422 00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:01,040 Speaker 1: have the best reputation with everyone, and some people viewed 423 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:06,159 Speaker 1: her as temperamental, and that also the stories she told 424 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: would just sometimes messed up plans for her appearances, like 425 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: she would do double bookings and stuff like that, and 426 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:16,240 Speaker 1: she also fired managers, several managers of a short period 427 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:20,120 Speaker 1: of time. But after she did by the plane, she 428 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: the first instance of kind of like a tragedy in 429 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 1: her life. Well, that's like something that like definitely was 430 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:32,240 Speaker 1: bad in her life, Like she was flying from Santa 431 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: Monica to Los Angeles when the plane crashed. It stalled 432 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 1: and crashed, and so she was unconscious when she was rescued. 433 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: She spent some time in the hospital because she broke 434 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,919 Speaker 1: her leg and she broke some ribs and had like 435 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,080 Speaker 1: other harm done to her in other ways. And she 436 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: was released after a few months, but she got a 437 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 1: cast on her leg and and got out the plane 438 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,360 Speaker 1: was destroyed, so you know, she worked hard to get 439 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 1: to buy the plane, but then it was destroyed. So yeah, 440 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,440 Speaker 1: And I keep thinking about how at this time, as 441 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: you said, flying was pretty new, and these planes are 442 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: just thinking about the what must have been very exhilarating 443 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,479 Speaker 1: but also very scary, and that they could just the 444 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:17,679 Speaker 1: engine just gives out on you and she could have 445 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: easily died right then. Looking at the timeline for a 446 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: lot of the young pilots, it wasn't long and it 447 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: was like a continued pattern for all And I'm like, yeah, 448 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: those airplanes, I just cannot imagine justifying trap that it 449 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:38,640 Speaker 1: must have been. Seriously, the barn storming didn't last long, 450 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:42,200 Speaker 1: you know, all the like more regulation and that that 451 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:45,440 Speaker 1: means it was such a off the cuff, like Dary 452 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 1: Devilly type of situation that that that era didn't last 453 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 1: super long. Um, And I couldn't imagine walking on the 454 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,240 Speaker 1: plane's wings, Like I mean, I feel like this is 455 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: coming from advantage point of like you know, there's passenger 456 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,159 Speaker 1: flights are so safe and we're so used to you know, 457 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: we're so used to that we're so used to driving, 458 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: and there's so many safety improvements that have happened, and 459 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:12,880 Speaker 1: when it comes to all of the transportation that like, 460 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:14,919 Speaker 1: you know, looking back, I'm like, I wouldn't have stepped 461 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 1: foot in one of those places. Okay, like I am good. 462 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,040 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have step footing one. I wouldn't have tried 463 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,679 Speaker 1: to learn to pilot one. And I definitely wouldn't have 464 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:24,920 Speaker 1: tried to be on the wings while I was stressing 465 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:27,880 Speaker 1: somebody else to pilot one. Right, I think I would 466 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: have gotten one. I don't think I would have gotten 467 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:34,159 Speaker 1: on the wings, but I have somebody who's like, oh, 468 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:39,040 Speaker 1: let's try this thing that's probably very dangerous. Well, you 469 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: are a daredevil yourself. I do know that about you. 470 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: So that's what they call me. Dared devil, reaves devils. 471 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:55,880 Speaker 1: I love it. We do have some more for you listeners, 472 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 1: but first we have one more quick break for work 473 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:14,880 Speaker 1: from responsing, and we're back. Thank you. Stump there. So 474 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: she ended up going back to Chicago, and she did 475 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:22,359 Speaker 1: have notoriety there, but she wasn't necessarily monetarily wealthy. Um, 476 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: she made enough money to live. So she went back 477 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:30,639 Speaker 1: to Texas in and giving lectures became something that was 478 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:35,320 Speaker 1: a big part of her life. UM that did help 479 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 1: make her money. She gave lectures and prepared for more 480 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: flying demonstrations and a note here that over this time 481 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,720 Speaker 1: she'd men touring doing these flights. UM. She wouldn't fly 482 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,719 Speaker 1: in front of a segregated audience, so that was one 483 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 1: of her demands. She said she wanted everybody to enter 484 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:56,160 Speaker 1: through the same gate, and that often happened, and when 485 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: she was flying in the North. Her first show in 486 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: Texas was on juneteenth in nine and it was segregated. 487 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: So there were plenty of times when she did get 488 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 1: people to make these concessions when it came to having 489 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:11,200 Speaker 1: integrated shows, but that didn't happen on her first show 490 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,240 Speaker 1: in Texas. And she did go on to do more 491 00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:18,560 Speaker 1: shows in the Houston area and and she did more 492 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:21,160 Speaker 1: lectures as well. Also during those lectures she would encourage 493 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:23,640 Speaker 1: black folks to take up aviation. She would also show 494 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: clips of her flights UM and she parachuted from a 495 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 1: plan herself for the first time in September of nineteen 496 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:34,160 Speaker 1: five at an air show in Texas. So she continued 497 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:37,440 Speaker 1: turning the country. She went to Georgia, and Florida and lectured. 498 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,280 Speaker 1: She would appear in theaters, she would appear in schools 499 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: and churches, and but she didn't meet resistance in Florida 500 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: for wanting shows that weren't segregated. Um. But yeah, so 501 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,440 Speaker 1: in Orlando she did have success getting an integrated show. 502 00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 1: But all this time she's touring, and during all these lectures, 503 00:28:55,840 --> 00:29:00,560 Speaker 1: she was also still dreaming about opening her aviation in school. 504 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:04,400 Speaker 1: She was looking for financial support for that as well, 505 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: so because that doesn't come without a cost, and so 506 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,360 Speaker 1: that's still in the back of her mind. And in 507 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,440 Speaker 1: her Georgia and Florida exhibition flights, she flew borrowed planes 508 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,479 Speaker 1: because her plane having crashed, But she did end up 509 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: earning enough money and getting money from a friend to 510 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: buy another surplus Jenny, which is what they call the 511 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:29,240 Speaker 1: JAM four that she had found in Dallas. So there 512 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 1: was William Wills, who was a mechanic and a pilot. 513 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 1: He flew the plane, the one that she had found 514 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:38,440 Speaker 1: in Dallas, from Dallas to Jacksonville for her after she 515 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,840 Speaker 1: earned enough money to buy it. Um the plan was 516 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: in pretty poor condition, so it wasn't great, but she 517 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 1: had been invited to fly at the nine May Day 518 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:53,000 Speaker 1: celebration in Jacksonville that was sponsored by the Negro Welfare League. 519 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 1: And that was important to her because, as we discussed 520 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 1: at the top of the show, like she got she 521 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 1: had support, but she didn't have a ton of support 522 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:04,960 Speaker 1: for it to be able to raise money for the 523 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:07,920 Speaker 1: endeavors that she wanted to to be able to attain. 524 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:10,760 Speaker 1: And so it was important to her because this was 525 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:15,320 Speaker 1: a notable black organization um that could potentially help her 526 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 1: get closer to her dream of opening an aviation school. Unfortunately, 527 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: like this hurt, she couldn't. She was never able to 528 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:25,720 Speaker 1: realize that dream because she died early. So this was 529 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,360 Speaker 1: on April thirtieth, the day before the event. William Wills 530 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: the mechanic and pilot, and then Bessie. They took the 531 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 1: plane out for a test fight before the big show. 532 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 1: He piloted the plane and she was sitting in the 533 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 1: back and he had his seatbelt on, but she didn't 534 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:43,720 Speaker 1: have her seatbelt on because she was looking over the 535 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,080 Speaker 1: plane trying to survey the fields below and get a 536 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: sense of everything. And she was planning a parachute jump 537 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 1: for the next day. But after they were in the 538 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 1: air for not that long, the plane went into a 539 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:59,280 Speaker 1: dive and untail spin and it flipped over and that 540 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:03,240 Speaker 1: threw her out of the aircraft and that killed her. Um, 541 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:05,960 Speaker 1: they were really high up, you know. William he stayed 542 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:08,640 Speaker 1: in the plane, but he also died. It crashed and 543 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: caught on fire. And after that happened, some people believe 544 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,200 Speaker 1: that William Wills made the plane lose control. They blamed him, 545 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: said he was guilty of murder. But it ended up 546 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:23,240 Speaker 1: turning out that there was a wrench that was used 547 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 1: to service the plane that had slid into the gearbox 548 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,360 Speaker 1: and made it spin. So like as you mentioned, like 549 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:32,560 Speaker 1: already something that seems so dangerous to do in the 550 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:36,760 Speaker 1: first place, like because there weren't so many stops for 551 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:39,120 Speaker 1: things that could happen accidents that could happen like that 552 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:42,840 Speaker 1: as there are now. And also the plane was old 553 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 1: and like you know, was already in poor condition. Um. Yeah, 554 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: that's something so small, you know, that could seem so 555 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,120 Speaker 1: insignificant as a wrench is something that can into people's 556 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:56,520 Speaker 1: lives and you know, affect so many others based on 557 00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,320 Speaker 1: the people that Wills and all the loved ones for 558 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 1: for William Will and for for Bessie Coleman. You know, 559 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: we're affected by by their deaths. And also all of 560 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:11,680 Speaker 1: the people who you know aspired to be aviators, um, 561 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,720 Speaker 1: all the people who didn't know who they would learn 562 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:18,880 Speaker 1: from Bessie Coleman were affected by her death. That was, 563 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:21,479 Speaker 1: you know, the end of her story. Unfortunately, like she 564 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,480 Speaker 1: lived a pretty she only lived into her thirties. Um. 565 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:28,160 Speaker 1: And there were funeral services that were held for her 566 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:31,840 Speaker 1: a couple in Florida and went in Chicago that out 567 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:35,000 Speaker 1: of the Welsh presided over and she was buried at 568 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 1: Lincoln Cemetery in Chicago. And so the Wespons said that, like, 569 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: you know, her achievements didn't really get the recognition that 570 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:48,040 Speaker 1: she had earned. While she was alive, there were people 571 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 1: who supported her, who encouraged her to who came to 572 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:54,280 Speaker 1: see her shows, who acknowledged the fact that you know, 573 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 1: she had to learn French, and then she went to 574 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: France to study flying and then came back to the 575 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 1: US and talked herself up, which I'm an advocate for. Actually, 576 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 1: I'll just stop to stay here. Talk yourself up, because 577 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: if you don't do it, nobody else will. Oh yeah, 578 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: I mean, like you said, you gotta have, especially when 579 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 1: she's trying to drum up like people to come to 580 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: a show, you gotta have this public persona talk herself up. 581 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:20,760 Speaker 1: Oh the way. I'm all for it too. I mean, 582 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:22,920 Speaker 1: we've been taught for so long that that's not okay 583 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:25,360 Speaker 1: and it's indecent for women to do. And see her 584 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,760 Speaker 1: doing it and doing it well and being able to 585 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: succeed for the time that she could, that was inspirational 586 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:35,360 Speaker 1: do it. Yeah. Yeah, she had a lot of support 587 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 1: at the funeral stale, so there were thousands of people 588 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 1: that attended her Chicago funeral. And she's also been honored 589 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 1: in many ways since. So, she was on a stamp, 590 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:47,640 Speaker 1: a U S stamp in nineteen There were pilots who 591 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:52,640 Speaker 1: fly over her grave since like annually since nineteen thirty one. Um, 592 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:54,880 Speaker 1: there were black women pilots who started a club that 593 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:59,160 Speaker 1: named after her in the nineteen seventies. And yeah, she's 594 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,960 Speaker 1: been honored like with street names and stuff like that. 595 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:08,279 Speaker 1: So her contributions to flight, you know, not just Women's flight, 596 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:13,439 Speaker 1: all flight and have been recognized in ways since. So. Yeah, 597 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:15,640 Speaker 1: her story unfortunately into early and I feel like it 598 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 1: always really sucks to hear, like somebody who cared so 599 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:21,239 Speaker 1: much about being a pioneer in the area, but not 600 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,480 Speaker 1: because like I'm going to be a pioneer in this area. 601 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 1: Is like I just want to do this thing, you know, 602 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:28,840 Speaker 1: wherever the impetus comes from, whether that's brothers who like 603 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:31,920 Speaker 1: are teasing you, or whether that's like stories of you 604 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,880 Speaker 1: reading about and you just you know, imagine that for yourself. 605 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,759 Speaker 1: Endo early for her, But UM, yeah, I think that 606 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:43,200 Speaker 1: it's good too that we can talk about her today 607 00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:49,239 Speaker 1: and we do still know a little about her story. Yeah. 608 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,160 Speaker 1: I mean it's it's tragic ending, uh, but I just 609 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 1: respect so much of so much of what she did 610 00:34:56,680 --> 00:35:01,640 Speaker 1: and how she just found a she found a way 611 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 1: to get what she wanted and she did. It was 612 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:07,960 Speaker 1: a pretty short time all of this went down. Um, 613 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:12,680 Speaker 1: and she had these like morals that she's really outspoken 614 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:15,160 Speaker 1: about or or things that she just stood stood for 615 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:21,400 Speaker 1: and was this inspiration two a lot of people at large, 616 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:25,800 Speaker 1: but then women and black women. Um. Yeah, it was 617 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:30,160 Speaker 1: amazing story. I'm glad we're talking about it. So, UM, 618 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:34,400 Speaker 1: do you have any designs, any plans to fly now? Annie? 619 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:39,319 Speaker 1: I actually, honestly, I'm not even lying. After I read this, 620 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:43,719 Speaker 1: I was like, I wonder, I wonder if I could 621 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:50,480 Speaker 1: get a pilot's license. Um, okay, so that's gonna be 622 00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:52,480 Speaker 1: I'm gonna hit you up for that during the apocalypse. 623 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 1: If you do get your pilot's license, can you please 624 00:35:55,239 --> 00:35:57,160 Speaker 1: me on my team so you can fly so where 625 00:35:57,160 --> 00:35:59,560 Speaker 1: if we need to escape? You're right, You're right, I can. 626 00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 1: Just I need to start upping my apocalypse. Like I 627 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:05,960 Speaker 1: love when you play video games, they're like, what character 628 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:07,040 Speaker 1: do you want to be? And you can look at 629 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:09,959 Speaker 1: all their skills and it's like, can dive underwater? Can 630 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:13,799 Speaker 1: fly plane? I need to be building up that list. Yeah, 631 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:15,719 Speaker 1: I think. I think if I've got a pretty decent 632 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:18,440 Speaker 1: list already, but I'll add flight to it, eaves, and 633 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 1: I'll be on your team. I gotta figure out my skills. Say, 634 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:24,880 Speaker 1: I'm gonna bring something to the table. I mean, you're you, 635 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:26,799 Speaker 1: and I can be the skill who actually find the 636 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 1: people who are better at things than us and the 637 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:35,520 Speaker 1: scout that is the scout have that. I like that. 638 00:36:35,719 --> 00:36:40,680 Speaker 1: I like that, always just thinking, always thinking. Samantha smarter, 639 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:52,240 Speaker 1: not harder, get someone else to think exactly. I love it. Yeah, 640 00:36:52,680 --> 00:36:57,640 Speaker 1: I she has inspired me to potentially become a pilot 641 00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:02,520 Speaker 1: one day. So there's story is still having an impact 642 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:08,359 Speaker 1: and that's great. Decays later. Yes, yeah, um, well, thank 643 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:12,839 Speaker 1: you as always, Eves. It's been a delight. Where can 644 00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:16,640 Speaker 1: the good listeners find you? You can find me online. 645 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:20,960 Speaker 1: You can find me online. I'm like, I'm hesitant to, like, 646 00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:22,800 Speaker 1: you know, tell people on on the internet, because that 647 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:24,880 Speaker 1: means I have to be on the internet. But you 648 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:29,399 Speaker 1: can find me um online, eaves Jefco on Twitter. Um. 649 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:34,239 Speaker 1: I'm also um on Unpopular. Can listen to me on Unpopular, 650 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:37,800 Speaker 1: the podcast about people in history who did really amazing, 651 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:41,200 Speaker 1: really provocative things. And you can also listen to me 652 00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:45,160 Speaker 1: on This Day in History Class, another podcast about things 653 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:47,840 Speaker 1: that happen in history and people in history and you 654 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:54,120 Speaker 1: may hopefully learn something. Definitely learn that, come out strong 655 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:58,160 Speaker 1: and say it. Thank you. Check that out. You've got 656 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:02,120 Speaker 1: the read along coming up. We tease the top. So excited. 657 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:05,920 Speaker 1: I'm so excited. Yeah, listeners, go do that if you 658 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:09,160 Speaker 1: haven't already. Um And if you would like to contact us, 659 00:38:09,239 --> 00:38:13,399 Speaker 1: oh you can um. Our email is step Media mom 660 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:15,319 Speaker 1: stuff at i heeart media dot com. You can find 661 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:17,640 Speaker 1: us on Instagram at stuff I've never Told You or 662 00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 1: on Twitter at mom Stuff Podcast. Thanks. It's always to 663 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:24,960 Speaker 1: our superproducer Andrew Howard. Thanks and thanks to you for 664 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,120 Speaker 1: listening stuff I've Never told you as a production of 665 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:29,080 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I heart Radio, 666 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:31,440 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 667 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:32,600 Speaker 1: listened to your favorite shows.