Janet Harmon Bragg: Pioneering African American Aviator

Janet Harmon Bragg was the first black female aviator to receive her commercial pilots license, but the road to that success was not easy. In this clip, Bragg describes how her efforts to earn a commercial pilots license were thwarted by a bigoted flight instructor in Alabama in 1943. This clip was taken from the Smithsonian Institution Archives Videohistory Collection, RU 9545 Black Aviators, Session 1 Tape 3 http://siarchives.si.edu/research/videohistory_catalog9545.html

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Black Aviators
• Aviation
• Smithsonian
• interview
• Janet Harmon Bragg
• Female Aviators
• Black Aviation
• flying
• history
• African American
• African American History
• museum
• black pilot

[SIArchives]

She is an inspiration. We're glad you enjoyed it.

[jackson6806]

".... because i was a black women." in the light of black history month (february 2012), i thank god that everyone has the opportunity to pursue their dreams of becoming a pilot. thank you for posting your vid. 

[groundpounder35]

Oh wow. 

[ntoro62611]

these women are just the women that should be feature on TV... great people.

[MrBensonHere]

Not one to give up, Janet Bragg went to Chicago and retook the examination. This time she passed, becoming the first black woman to receive a commercial pilot’s license.