As elite members of human space programs, or one of the select few pilots working for the military, black women have been soaring above fruited plains and far-flung planets for the cause of space exploration and freedom since 1922. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, they have battled gender and racial biases to demonstrate – once again – the unstoppable power of a determined sister.
Image: Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
An avid student, Mae Jemison earned dual degrees in chemical engineering and African-American studies at Stanford University, while becoming fluent in Japanese, Russian and Swahili. She received a doctor of medicine degree from Cornell University and then served in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Upon her return to the United States, Jemison applied to the astronaut program at NASA.
Her original application was rejected, but the second time around, she was one of 15 candidates selected from a field of 2,000. When Jemison concluded her training in 1988, she was the fifth black astronaut, and the first black female astronaut in the history of NASA. She completed her first flight in 1992. It was an eight-day mission, and she logged 190 hours, 30 minutes and 23 seconds on the space shuttle Endeavor as a mission specialist – making her the first black woman to go into space.
Image: Wikipedia Commons
Stephanie Wilson
Stephanie Wilson was only the second black female astronaut in NASA’s history. Since she began her training in 1996, she has been on three space shuttle missions and worked at the International Space Station. There was a ten-year lapse between Mae Jemison’s legendary achievement and Stephanie Wilson’s historic feat, and women are still a definite minority at NASA. Wilson explains, “We are finding that women aren’t studying math and science, which are required to become an astronaut. Numbers are increasing but they are still low, and so the pool of applicants for women is still low.”
Photo compliments of NASA.gov
Joan Higginbotham
Joan Higginbotham is NASA’s third black female astronaut. In 1987, two weeks after receiving a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, she was recruited by NASA to be a payload electrical engineer at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following a decade of impressive work, Higginbotham was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996. In 2006, she was part of the seven-member crew on the space shuttle Discovery. The mission’s duration was 12 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes. Higginbotham logged over 308 total space hours before retiring from NASA in 2007 to work in the private sector.
Photo compliments of Washington.edu
Yvonne Cagle
Yvonne Cagle is the product of Air Force parents, which may explain her inclination towards flying. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from San Francisco State University, and a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Washington, she was certified in Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in 1988. In 1995, the Federal Aviation Administration certified Cagle as a senior aviation medical examiner. Armed with these credentials, as well as an impressive background flying planes and serving in the Air Force during the Gulf War, she applied to NASA in 1996, and was one of 25 candidates accepted out of 2,500 applicants. While Cagle has not been in space, she has been an occupational medicine physician at the Johnson Space Center.
Photo compliments of Biography.com
Bessie Coleman
In 1922, Bessie Coleman secured more than her place in aviation history. Although becoming the first black woman to earn a pilot’s license is an incredible feat in itself, Coleman’s indomitable spirit and dogged determination has also provided inspiration and motivation to countless dreamers. When she could not gain admittance to aviation school in this country, Coleman taught herself French and moved to France to pursue her dream. In just seven months, she received her pilot’s license from France’s renowned Caudron Brother’s School of Aviation. Returning to the States, she performed spectacular stunt flying and parachuting tricks. In addition to being the first black female to earn a pilot’s license, Coleman is also in the history books for the first public flight by a black woman.
Photo compliments of Old Dominion University
Shawna Kimbrell
Shawna Kimbrell is the first black female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. In 1976, the military allowed women to train as pilots, but they were not allowed to pilot F-16 combat aircraft until 1993. Kimbrell graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1998, proceeded through rigorous pilot training, and received her pilot wings in 1999. She flew her first combat mission in 2001 Operation Northern Watch. Kimbrell has flown the multi-million dollar F-16, in addition to the T-28, T-37 and T-3. She has over 945 hours in the F-16; 176 of which are combat hours.
Photo compliments of
http://www.sandiegoairandspace.org
Jill Brown Hiltz
Jill Brown Hiltz was the first black female pilot for a major airline. When she was a teenager, the entire Brown family took flying lessons and Hiltz was the first family member to receive her pilot’s license. Eventually, the Browns acquired their own plane and she flew the aircraft frequently. After graduating from the University of Maryland in 1972, Hiltz accepted a teaching job, but in 1974, at the age of 24, she became the first black female in the U.S. Navy flight training program. However, Hiltz found military life confining, and after six months, left with an honorable discharge.
She then went to work at Wheeler Airlines, the first black owned and operated airline in the country. After logging enough hours to work for a major airline, Hiltz was hired by Texas International Airlines in 1978. Although her employment was historical, Hiltz believed that she was only hired because of her race. After only one year, she left the company to work for Zantop International Airlines in Detroit. Hiltz stayed with the cargo carrier until 1985.
