American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky (WB)

Title: American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky- --(WB)
Author: Sherri L. Smith, Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9798331703479
SKU: WB002300
Release Date: 45901
Genre: History -African American
Grade Level: 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade


Language : English


Description : In the years between World War I and World War II, aviation fever was everywhere, including among Black Americans. But what hope did a Black person have of learning to fly in a country constricted by prejudice and Jim Crow laws, where Black aviators like Bessie Coleman had to move to France to earn their wings? American Wings follows a group of determined Black Americans: Cornelius Coffey and Johnny Robinson, skilled auto mechanics; Janet Harmon Bragg, a nurse; and Willa Brown, a teacher and social worker. Together, they created a flying club and built their own airfield south of Chicago. As the U.S. hurtled toward World War II, they established a school to train new pilots, teaching both Black and white students together and proving, in a time when the U.S. military was still segregated, that successful integration was possible. Featuring rare historical photographs, American Wings brings to light a hidden history of pioneering Black men and women who, with grit and resilience, battled powerful odds for an equal share of the sky.