Women's Air & Space MUSEUM Highlighting Black Women in Aviation
U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel (ret.) and cultural historian, Monica Smith
As Women's History Month comes to a close, the International Women's Air & Space Museum (located in the terminal building at Burke) will welcome U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel (ret.) Monica Smith for "Researching Black Women in Aviation: Barriers and Breakthroughs," the latest in its catered "Dinner With a Slice of History" series. Everyone knows the name Amelia Earhart, but very few know about Rose Cousins, Bessie Coleman, Dorothy Darby, Willa Brown and other women of color. While Bessie Coleman's famous barnstorming debut in 1922 inspired a generation of young female and young Black female aviators, Coleman herself had to go to France to study aviation due to her race and gender. “We want to change that. We're a small, yet mighty organization who is doing everything we can to show all of our communities how important women are and the lasting impact they've had on both aviation and aerospace.”
