A Salute to Bessie Coleman

(Written on July 23, 2014)

I've just completed an assignment on Rhetoric. For this assignment, we had to watch four speeches that displayed examples of Logos, Ethos, Pathos, and Mythos. The Ethos example was Ronald Reagan's speech on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day. I always get choked up over any remembrance of a war, especially World War II and the Korean War, because even though those wars ended almost six and seven decades ago, the memories and the pain are still fresh for the veterans. 

While my feelings were being stirred up, I started reading up on a few things--the World War II vets who are still with us, the Tuskegee Airmen, and then, I landed on Bessie Coleman's Wikipedia page.

I was well aware of who Bessie Coleman was as a kid, but for some reason, she seemed to have slipped from my memory as I grew up. I think it's because I've focused so much of my attention of classic Black entertainers in recent years and sort of pulled away from the inventors, scientists, and engineers (that I actually learned so much about in elementary school). It could also be because "Earhart" and "Lindbergh" are the only names drummed into the public memory, but that's a different story.

If you don't know who Bessie Coleman is/was, she was the first African-American woman to hold a pilot license and the first American (of any gender and any race) to hold an international pilot license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

I encourage you all to read about Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman, and to share her story with others, especially kids!

Official Website

Wikipedia

American Experience: Fly Girls (PBS) 

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Oh, and if there's a biopic, my actress choice:

Rhyon Nicole Brown

(Best known for her role as "Lizzie" on Lincoln Heights)

(Posted by MadameCassie on Lipstick Alley)

Falling in Love with Eartha Kitt

Photo by Allan Warren (from Wikipedia)

Eartha Kitt was one of those many people I'd grown up "knowing". I knew that face when I saw it--an unmistakable face. Then, there was that voice--including the "purr". For me, knowing Eartha Kitt was much like knowing Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, or Michael Jackson as a kid in the 90s/00s--these were people you just . That is a testament to her longevity in the entertainment industry.

In recent years--when I'm using the internet and social media more rampantly than ever--I've been exposed to more than just the purr and the "sexy grandma". I've gotten to know Eartha Kitt: the Katherine Dunham dancer, the friend to James Dean, and most importantly, the activist--the always wise woman. After borrowing her first autobiography (Thursday's Child) from my school's library, I've learned more about "Eartha Mae"--girl with the quintessential "rags to riches" story. 

In concert in 2007 (also from Wikipedia)

To avoid spoiling Thursday's Child, I will say this and only this: Eartha Kitt was the ultimate survivor. She is and was a once in a lifetime presence on this earth. In fact, the more I read and discover, the more I miss (and appreciate) that presence. The book is a rare find. The copy that I've borrowed from the library has been there for decades--since my university was actually a division of another school (see photo below). 

However, I urge any and everyone to find a copy, if you can. It's definitely on the top of my "Things to Find/Buy When I'm Filthy Rich" list.

My university's copy: "3/6/57 - Gift - Dr. Herman" 
Old Dominion University ("Norfolk Division") branched off from the College of William & Mary in 1962

After all the reading and researching; interview-watching, photo-hunting, and more, Eartha Kitt has become more than just a "woman I know of" and even more than someone I admire--she's easily become one of (if not the) greatest influence in my life right now, a time in which I'm preparing to take on the so-called "real world" and embark on new journeys. Words cannot express how grateful I have become for her presence and for her words.


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More Reasons to Love Eartha Kitt

On love and "compromise" (from the 1982 documentary, All By Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story)


Detroit Black Journal interview

"I Want to Be Evil" 
(Live Performance)


What's My Line? episodes

May 30, 1954

July 12, 1959

July 23, 1961



Simply Eartha
(Link to website)

Kitt Shapiro, daughter of Ms. Eartha Kitt, talks about Simply Eartha, a lifestyle brand created in honor of her mother (if anyone is moved to buy me a Christmas gift...)