In recognition of Black History Month, we want to take a moment to shine the light on a few African-Americans who overcame great challenges to make significant contributions in aviation and aerospace. These historic African-American figures in aviation are pioneers in their field and opened crucial doors for other African-Americans in the aviation industry.
Astronaut Mae Jemison
On September 12, 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman in space, achieving a lifelong dream and joining the ranks of her childhood heroes, Sally Ride and Guy Bluford, Jr. The daughter of a Chicago school teacher and a maintenance supervisor, Jemison grew up in the Chicago Public School system where she achieved honors in math and science. Dr. Jemison then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and African American Studies from Stanford University. She then earned her medical degree from Cornell University and served two years in the Peace Corps in West Africa.
In 1988, Dr. Jemison decided to take the next step in pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut. She applied to be an astronaut candidate and was one of 15 candidates selected from a group of 2,000. Four years later, Dr. Jemison made history when she became the first African-American female astronaut in space. Dr. Jemison went on to accomplish more life achievements and now has a Chicago school named after her, the Mae C. Jemison Academy. Read her full biography here.
Pilot Dale White
Dale White is known for his 1939 “Goodwill Flight” with Chauncey Spencer from Chicago to Washington, DC. The point of their flight mission was to make the case for African American participation in civilian and military flight training.
Born in Minden, Louisiana in 1899, White moved to Chicago in 1930 and later enrolled at the Curtiss Wright Aeronautical University, the first accredited flight school to accept African American students in the Midwest. In 1933, White began flight training and earned his pilot’s license in 1936. After earning his license, White became active in Chicago African American flying circles and joined the Challenger Air Pilots Association (CAPA), an organization started by African American flying enthusiasts.
In 1939, CAPA collaborated with the Chicago Defender, an African-American newspaper, to create a “Goodwill Flight” to Washington, DC to lobby for a change in legislation to allow African Americans to join the US Army Air Corps. White and flight partner Chancey Spencer made the flight and had a chance meeting with future President Harry S. Truman who was a Senator at the time. After their meeting, Truman helped pass legislation allowing African Americans to participate in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. Learn more here.
Psychologist Dr. Patricia Cowings
As a researcher with the Biomedical Division of the Ames Research Center, Dr. Patricia Cowings, a psychologist, investigated space sickness--the psycho-physiological and biological problems experienced by astronauts in the 1980s.
One of the challenges Dr. Cowings faced with her investigation was determining how to train astronauts to control space sickness in just six hours. Dr. Cowings created 12 half-hour sessions combining training and biofeedback. Learn more about Dr. Cowings here.
Flight Doctor Vance Marchbanks
Dr. Vance Marchbanks, Jr. was one of two African-American MDs to complete the US Army Air corps School in Aerospace Medicine at the beginning of World War II. Dr. Marchbanks then went to achieve many accomplishments including serving as the flight physician for the Tuskegee Airmen.
In an overabundance of caution, the US Air Force banned anyone with the Sickle Cell trait from joining. When African American physicians learned this ban was put into place with no real evidence that sickle cell would endanger pilots with the disease, they turned to Dr. Marchbanks to disprove the Air Force’s justification for the ban. As a result of his research and data, the Air Force rescinded their ban in 1981. Read more about Dr. Marchbanks here.
