[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 32 (Thursday, February 16, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S461-S462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 73--DESIGNATING FEBRUARY 16, 2023, AS ``INTERNATIONAL 
                   BLACK AVIATION PROFESSIONALS DAY''

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

                               S. Res. 73

       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

[[Page S462]]

     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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