Celebrating Sisters of the Skies
By Dontrey Britt-Hart
On this final day of Women’s History Month, Denim & Damask salutes Sisters of the Skies, “an organization comprised of professional black women pilots who represent less than 1/2 of 1% of the total professional pilot career field” (https://www.sistersoftheskies.org).
Yes, out of roughly 670,000 active certified pilots in the United States, only 150 (1-5-0) are black women. These 150 pilots include airline transport, commercial, military and certified flight instructors.
While these numbers are abysmal, the mission of Sisters of the Skies is something to celebrate: welcoming and educating young women into the aviation industry through mentorship, professional development, STEM, outreach, and scholarships.
Photo Credit: Sisters of the Skies
This year also marks 100 years of the first history-making moment in aviation for women of color, as Bessie Coleman, an American aviator, earned her pilot’s license in France on June 15, 1921, making her the first American of any race or gender to earn an international pilot’s license from the highly respected Federation Aeronautique International.
Thank you, Sisters, of the Skies, for paving the way, for reaching back, and for making us proud. Thank you, Bessie, for seeing beyond your circumstances, your race, and your gender and allowing nothing to deter you from achieving the seemingly impossible.
