[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6744]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE FLIGHT CREW OF DELTA CONNECTION FLIGHT 5202

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 9, 2009

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. On February 12, 2009, in the 
heart of Black History Month, four African-American women accomplished 
a feat which has never before been performed. They were the first all-
female, African-American flight crew to operate a flight in the United 
States. These women truly are an inspiration to all of us, and I am so 
honored and pleased to recognize the crew of Delta Connection Flight 
5202: Captain Rachelle Jones, First Officer Stephanie Grant, and flight 
attendants Diana Galloway and Robin Rogers.
  When these women operated a flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to 
Nashville, Tennessee, and the return flight back to Atlanta, they had 
no idea that they would be making history. Captain Jones is one of only 
a handful of female African-American pilots in the country, and after 
her first-officer became sick and was replaced with First Officer 
Grant, Captain Jones knew that this flight was going to be special. 
Together these women have positively challenged our ideas of what it 
means to be in aviation in modern America.
  It is important to realize, however, that this feat is merely the 
extension of a legacy of black female pilots which began with Elizabeth 
``Bessie'' Coleman. Born in Atlanta, Texas, to a poor background, 
Bessie Coleman overcame numerous obstacles to show the world that a 
Black woman can indeed be a pilot. After realizing that no American 
flight school would train her, she studied French and went to Europe to 
train at a foreign institute. In June of 1961, she became the first 
African-American woman in the world to obtain a pilot's license.
  Let us applaud the efforts of these heroes who have paved the way for 
African-American women in aviation. From Bessie Coleman to the modern 
day flight crew of Delta Connection Flight 5202, barriers are being 
broken to assure that our daughters have the opportunity to truly 
become whatever they wish to be. I am proud to recognize the 
accomplishments of these women and we are all honored by their efforts.

                          ____________________