5 historical women who deserve a miniseries from Netflix or Hulu

Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman was the first woman of African-American descent and the first woman of Native American descent to become a licensed airplane pilot.

Born in 1892 to sharecroppers in Texas, she walked four miles every day to study in a segregated school, a routine that was interrupted year on year by helping with the cotton harvest.

Her father left the family when Bessie was nine, and she took her savings to enroll at university. She returned home after one semester when money ran out but moved to Chicago where she heard about pilots returning from the First World War.

Neither women nor African-Americans were admitted into pilot school at that time, so Bessie moved to France, taking lessons from an ace pilot, and when she returned to America in 1921, she was a hit.

She became a stunt pilot to make ends meet, and received a standing ovation at the opening night of all-black musical Shuffle Along, where she was invited as guest of honor. She refused to perform at events that wouldn’t allow African-Americans to attend.

She also refused to star in a film which asked her to perpetuate racial stereotypes, even though she wanted to use the proceeds to found her own flying school. She unfortunately never got to do this before she died aged 32.

Coleman’s story is fascinating in its own right, but her influence on others is immeasurable. The first African American woman to travel into space, Mae Jemison, took a picture of Coleman with her into orbit.