Early Life and Background Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, to a family of sharecroppers. She was the tenth of thirteen children born to George and Susan Coleman, both of whom were of African American and Native American descent. Her father left the family when Bessie was a child, and her mother worked tirelessly to support the household. Growing up in the racially segregated South, Bessie faced enormous obstacles. Despite walking four miles each day to attend a one-room schoolhouse, she excelled in reading and…