GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) — The Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum is honoring a trailblazer this week to close out Black History Month.
Starting Thursday and running through Saturday, the museum is inviting visitors to celebrate the legacy of Bessie Coleman.
Coleman made history in 1921 as the first Black and Native American woman to earn an international pilot’s license.
Bessie’s great-niece, Gigi Coleman, is helping bring that history to life.
Gigi is dressing up and sharing her family’s incredible journey.
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“That’s what we have to do. Inspire these young kids like Aunt Bessie wanted. She wanted an aviation school to teach people how to fly airplanes. She didn’t want people to have to go through what she went through,” Gigi Coleman said. “Since her passing and everything, I just took the torch.”
The event is open to everyone. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children twelve years old and younger.
There will be shows on Friday at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and one show on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
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