IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 131 

Expressing support for the designation of February 16, 2023, as 

‘‘International Black Aviation Professionals Day’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2023 

Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia (for herself, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. PAYNE, 

Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. FITZPATRICK, 

Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, and Ms. BROWN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of February 16, 

2023, as ‘‘International Black Aviation Professionals Day’’. 

Whereas since the birth of aviation, Black Americans have 

made and continue to make significant contributions to 

flight, space exploration, and the aviation industry as a 

whole despite significant adversity; 

Whereas aviation trailblazers like Emory C. Malick, the first 

licensed Black pilot, James H. Banning, the first Black 

pilot to fly across the United States, and Bessie ‘‘Queen’’ 

Coleman, the first licensed Black woman pilot, 


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•HRES 131 IH 

barnstormed through barriers such as racism and sexism 

to have careers in aviation; 

Whereas visionaries like William J. Powell, Jr., established 

the Bessie Coleman Flying Club, sponsored the first allBlack American airshow, wrote the book entitled ‘‘Black 

Wings’’, produced a documentary film entitled ‘‘Unemployment, the Negro and Aviation’’, and worked tirelessly 

to mobilize Black American youth to pursue careers in 

aviation; 

Whereas Cornelius Coffey, a skilled Black American auto mechanic who dreamed of flying, and Willa Brown, the first 

Black woman to earn both a pilot’s license and a commercial license and the first Black woman to become an 

officer in the Illinois Civil Air Patrol, organized a group 

of Black air enthusiasts, established training classes and 

a school of aeronautics, and helped promote the 1939 

flight of Chauncey Spencer and Dale White from Chicago 

to Washington, DC, to campaign for an end to racial segregation in aviation; 

Whereas the Tuskegee Army Airfield, after which the 

Tuskegee Airmen were named, became a vital center for 

Black American servicemen and servicewomen to train as 

mechanics, control tower operators, and pilots of military 

aircrafts, launching the careers of many notable Black 

aviators, including General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., 

Amelia Jones, Linkwood Williams, Lieutenant Colonel 

Lee A. Archer, Major Charles Hall, Brigadier General 

Charles McGee, and many others; 

Whereas the Red Tails of the 99th Fighter Squadron and 

later the 332d Fighter Group known as the Tuskegee 

Airmen made pioneering contributions to the United 

States war effort during World War II and the subseVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:02 Feb 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR131.IH HR131

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•HRES 131 IH 

quent drive to end racial segregation in the United States 

Armed Forces; 

Whereas, in 1958, Ruth Carol Taylor became the first Black 

regional flight attendant in the United States; 

Whereas, in 1956, Patricia Banks-Edmiston filed, and, in 

1960, ultimately won, a discrimination case against Capital Airlines, paving the way for her to become the first 

Black commercial flight attendant in the United States; 

Whereas these historic firsts opened the skies for Black flight 

attendants, including Joan Dorsey, Diane Hunter, Patricia Grace Murphy, Undra Mays, Sheila Nutt, and Margaret Grant; 

Whereas Oscar Wayman Holmes was the first Black air traffic controller and served as the first Black aircraft pilot 

and the first Black commissioned officer in the Navy, 

and Eleanor Williams became the first Black woman air 

traffic controller in 1971; 

Whereas Black scientists reached the stars through the brilliance and fortitude of historically overlooked and 

unappreciated figures, including Katherine Johnson, 

Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, whose contributions 

in astrophysics allowed the United States to send people 

into space; 

Whereas Black Americans soared amongst the stars when 

Guion ‘‘Guy’’ Bluford and Mae Jemison became the first 

Black American man and woman, respectively, to venture 

into space; 

Whereas former astronaut Charles F. Bolden, Jr., the first 

Black American to be permanently named NASA Administrator, inspired the next generation of aviators and 

innovators; 


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•HRES 131 IH 

Whereas the research of Black Americans like physician 

Vance H. Marchbanks and psychophysiologist Patricia 

Cowings made it safer for astronauts to travel to space; 

Whereas Black inventors helped revolutionize air and space 

travel, including through the long-distance airplane designed by Charles W. Chappelle, contributions by Gladys 

West to the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS), technology created by George Robert Carruthers that allowed for photography in space, and the 

power source created by Lonnie Johnson for the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Galileo mission 

to Jupiter; 

Whereas Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., the first Black 

mayor of the City of Atlanta, Georgia, is renowned for 

his diversity and inclusion plan to ensure Black business 

owners had the opportunity to participate in the expansion of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport 

into a major transportation hub, ahead of schedule and 

under budget, all while paving the way for minorityowned businesses to support the aviation industry 

through construction, management, and concessions programs at airports across the United States; 

Whereas, on February 12, 2009, on a flight from Atlanta to 

Nashville, Captain Rachelle Jones Kerr, First Officer 

Stephanie Grant, and flight attendants Robin Rogers and 

Diana Galloway made history as the first all-female, allBlack American flight crew; 

Whereas Casey Grant, an author, aviator, and a pioneer as 

one of the earliest Black flight attendants, has made it 

her mission to honor the legacy and contributions of 

Black pioneers in aviation through her books entitled 

‘‘Stars in the Sky’’ and ‘‘Stars and Beyond’’ and her efVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:02 Feb 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR131.IH HR131

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forts to introduce a new generation of young Black individuals across the United States and in Ghana to the 

field of aviation; 

Whereas organizations including the Organization of Black 

Aerospace Professionals, the Black Aviation Airline Pioneers, the Sisters of the Skies, the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars, the Black Flight Attendants of America, 

Inc., the Airport Minority Advisory Council, and more 

continue to preserve the legacy and support the future of 

Black Americans in aviation; 

Whereas Black Americans have long served in every aspect 

of aviation, from skycaps who greet travelers arriving at 

the airport, to ticketing agents who ensure travelers’ 

itineraries are in order, to ground crew, mechanics, and 

many others who make the aviation industry safe and reliable; 

Whereas the Federal Aviation Administration provides opportunities to eligible students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in the fields of aviation, aeronautics, and science, technology, engineering, and math 

(STEM) through the STEM Aviation and Space Education Program by recruiting candidates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities for programs such 

as the Minority Serving Institutions Intern Program; and 

Whereas public and private sector efforts to recruit, retain, 

and support talented Black Americans through increased 

emphasis on intentional diversity, equity, and inclusion 

initiatives, programs, and commitments and investments 

in programs that expose underrepresented groups to careers in aviation will ultimately help diversify the workforce for decades to come: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses support for the designation of 

3 ‘‘International Black Aviation Professionals Day’’; 

4 (2) encourages the observation of ‘‘Inter5 national Black Aviation Professionals Day’’ through 

6 recognition and celebration of the contributions of 

7 Black aviation professionals; and 

8 (3) requests that the President issue a procla9 mation calling upon the people of the United States 

10 to— 

11 (A) recognize the stories and contributions 

12 of Black American aviation professionals who 

13 broke barriers, innovated, and took aviation to 

14 greater heights; 

15 (B) provide enhanced curriculum in 

16 schools, libraries, and other places of learning 

17 to educate all people of the United States with 

18 respect to the contributions of Black aviation 

19 pioneers; and 

20 (C) support greater opportunities for Black 

21 Americans in all areas of aviation. 

Æ 


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