Willa Brown: An American Aviator
Videos are generally available for preview to non-members as short clips. Limited full-length titles are also available. Log In to view the full length title.
Browse Full-length Non-member Titles
Willa Beatrice Brown, the first African-American woman in the U.S. to be a licensed pilot, earned her license in 1937. She and her husband, Cornelius Coffey, founded a fully accredited flying school at Harlem Airfield, near Chicago. Despite her many accomplishments, few people have heard of Willa Brown. Tells her story and that of African-American aviation before World War II and also includes rare interviews.
Media Details
Runtime: 27 minutes 53 seconds
- Topic: Biographies, History, Social Science
- Subtopic: African-Americans, Biography, U.S. History (General), Women
- Grade/Interest Level: 9 - 12
- Standards:
- Release Year: 2006
- Producer/Distributor: Filmakers Library, Inc
Available Resources
Related Media

10 Things You Don't Know About Civil Rights

1960: Skin Deep

1961, The Road to Freedom

A Child Shall Lead Them: Two Days In September 1957

A Spy Called James

A Story, A Story

A Time for Justice: America's Civil Rights Movement

A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom

African-American Heroes of Sport

African-American Quilting: The Cloth Sings to Me