[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 73 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 73

   Designating February 16, 2023, as ``International Black Aviation 
                          Professionals Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 16, 2023

 Mr. Ossoff submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Designating 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, barnstormed through barriers such as racism and sexism to have 
        careers in aviation;
Whereas William J. Powell, Jr., was a visionary who established the Bessie 
        Coleman Flying Club, sponsored the first all-Black 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 auto mechanic who dreamed of flying, and 
        Willa Brown, the first Black woman to earn both a pilot 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 servicemembers 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 subsequent 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 Black commissioned officer 
        in the United States Navy, and, in 1971, Eleanor Williams became the 
        first Black woman air traffic controller;
Whereas Black scientists have played an integral role in the United States, 
        reaching 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 individuals into space;
Whereas Black Americans finally 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 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 American inventors helped revolutionize air and space travel, 
        including Charles W. Chappelle designing a long-distance airplane, 
        Gladys West contributing to the development of the Global Positioning 
        System (GPS), George Robert Carruthers creating technology that allowed 
        for photography in space, and Lonnie Johnson creating the power source 
        for the Galileo mission to Jupiter for the National Aeronautics and 
        Space Administration;
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, an aviator, and a pioneer in her own right as 1 
        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 efforts 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., and more continue to preserve the legacy 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, and ticketing 
        agents, who ensure the itineraries of travelers 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 and aeronautics, and science, technology, engineering, and math 
        (referred to in this preamble as ``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 promote 
        talented Black Americans through increased emphasis on intentional 
        diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, programs, and commitments, 
        as well as 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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates February 16, 2023, as ``International Black 
        Aviation Professionals Day'';
            (2) encourages the observation of ``International Black 
        Aviation Professionals Day'' through the recognition and 
        celebration of the contributions of Black aviation 
        professionals; and
            (3) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
        calling upon the people of the United States--
                    (A) to recognize the stories and contributions of 
                Black American aviation professionals who broke 
                barriers, innovated, and took aviation to greater 
                heights;
                    (B) to provide an enhanced curriculum in schools, 
                libraries, and other places of learning to educate all 
                individuals of the United States with respect to the 
                contributions of Black aviation pioneers; and
                    (C) to support greater opportunities for Black 
                Americans in all areas of aviation.
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