•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 all- 
Black American airshow, wrote the book entitled ‘‘Black 
Wings’’, produced a documentary film entitled ‘‘Unem-
ployment, 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 me-
chanic who dreamed of flying, and Willa Brown, the first 
Black woman to earn both a pilot’s license and a com-
mercial 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 seg-
regation 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 subse-
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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 Cap-
ital 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, Patri-
cia Grace Murphy, Undra Mays, Sheila Nutt, and Mar-
garet Grant; 
Whereas Oscar Wayman Holmes was the first Black air traf-
fic 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 bril-
liance 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 Admin-
istrator, 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 de-
signed by Charles W. Chappelle, contributions by Gladys 
West to the development of the Global Positioning Sys-
tem (GPS), technology created by George Robert Car-
ruthers 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 expan-
sion of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport 
into a major transportation hub, ahead of schedule and 
under budget, all while paving the way for minority- 
owned businesses to support the aviation industry 
through construction, management, and concessions pro-
grams 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, all- 
Black 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 ef-
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•HRES 131 IH 
forts to introduce a new generation of young Black indi-
viduals 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 Pio-
neers, the Sisters of the Skies, the Bessie Coleman Avia-
tion 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 re-
liable; 
Whereas the Federal Aviation Administration provides oppor-
tunities to eligible students from historically underrep-
resented backgrounds in the fields of aviation, aero-
nautics, and science, technology, engineering, and math 
(STEM) through the STEM Aviation and Space Edu-
cation Program by recruiting candidates from Histori-
cally 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 ca-
reers in aviation will ultimately help diversify the work-
force for decades to come: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HRES 131 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses support for the designation of 
‘‘International Black Aviation Professionals Day’’; 
(2) encourages the observation of ‘‘Inter-
national Black Aviation Professionals Day’’ through 
recognition and celebration of the contributions of 
Black aviation professionals; and 
(3) requests that the President issue a procla-
mation calling upon the people of the United States 
to— 
(A) recognize the stories and contributions 
of Black American aviation professionals who 
broke barriers, innovated, and took aviation to 
greater heights; 
(B) 
provide 
enhanced 
curriculum 
in 
schools, libraries, and other places of learning 
to educate all people of the United States with 
respect to the contributions of Black aviation 
pioneers; and 
(C) support greater opportunities for Black 
Americans in all areas of aviation. 
Æ 
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