Hey!I'm Madeline.

Who's that, I asked my friend when he first spoke her name to me in 1988. We were discussing the scarcity of meaningful roles for African American actresses at the time.

I was being advised to not depend on the industry, "an artist waits for no one, you create your own." Veteran actor, John Amos, went on to say, you should write a one woman play about Bessie Coleman, our first female Black pilot.

During my initial research I only found a one page article published in 1977 by Ebony Magazine after that the trail went cold.

The lack of information about this incredible pioneer aviatrix infuriated me. Bessie Coleman was licensed as a pilot in 1921—two years before Amelia Earhart—by the prestigious Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, yet hardly anyone knew her name. All I could think was, "Bessie Coleman's story must be told."

Eventually, I went to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, where I found everything I needed to honor her legacy.

Sharing Bessie's journey is both a privilege and a passion—it fuels my creative soul. It also provides opportunities to inspire others to embrace self-determination, believe in their ability to overcome obstacles, and pursue their dreams with unwavering resolve.