From cotton fields to international acclaim-the remarkable true story of America's first Black woman pilot.

Born to Texas sharecroppers in 1892, Bessie Coleman dreamed of a life beyond the limitations imposed by poverty, racism, and sexism. When every American flight school rejected her because of her race and gender, she refused to accept defeat. Instead, she crossed an ocean, learned French, and earned her pilot's license in France-becoming the first Black woman in the world to fly.

Wings of Defiance chronicles Bessie's extraordinary journey from picking cotton to performing death-defying aerobatics before thousands, her relentless fight against segregation, and her tragic death at age 34 while pursuing her ultimate dream: opening a flight school for Black Americans. Her legacy inspired the Tuskegee Airmen and continues to influence modern aviation today.

A powerful story of courage, determination, and the refusal to accept limits others tried to impose.