Texas African American Museum receives Bessie Coleman artwork donation

Published 7:30 pm Tuesday, June 15, 2021

To kick off the week of Juneteenth, the Empowerment Community Development Corporation and Texas African American Museum celebrated a new illustration at the museum honoring Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to earn an aviation pilot’s license.

On Tuesday, the museum celebrated Coleman’s 100th anniversary of her earning the pilot’s license in 1921.

In honor of the special day, TAAM unveiled a new art exhibit featuring an image of Coleman for the museum, located at 309 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tyler. The exhibit is worth $7,000 from an anonymous donor.

The anonymous donor granted full use of artwork licensing to print, copy, sell and usage until June 15, 2026 to the Empowerment Community Development Corporation, which oversees the TAAM.

TAAM Executive Director Gloria Washington said she was honored to display the piece of artwork out in the museum.

“This gives us great privilege and great honor for us, the Texas African American Museum to receive this gift from an anonymous donor pricing at $7,000. That makes me feel honored as being the executive director of the Texas African American Museum,” Washington said.

Washington also hopes the Coleman artwork encourages the younger generation to pursue the aviation field.

“We want that to influence young girls, I don’t care what color you are. Young girls and young boys, you can do the same thing that Bessie Coleman did. Nothing is impossible. If you like the aviation field, go for it,” she said.

TAAM and ECDC also raised the Juneteenth flag for the first time in Tyler on Tuesday.

Empowerment Community Development Corporation President Stanley Cofer talked about the importance of the Juneteenth flag and celebrating the history of Coleman’s 100th anniversary.

“As a nation, it’s good that we celebrate history, period. Sometimes people may get confused with things. America wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for African Americans and African Americans wouldn’t be who we are if it wasn’t for America so you can’t have one without the other. That’s why we celebrate together and that’s why you see the flag out there flying together with the United State of America flag because we are incomplete with one another,” Cofer said.

As the Juneteenth week celebration continues, Washington encourages people to come support the free Juneteenth pageant hosted by TAAM at Bethel Bible Hope Campus in Tyler this Friday at 7 p.m.

Museum officials also honored three people with the Triple Eagle Service Awards: retired U.S Navy Aviation Maintenance Officer Lt. Lauri L. Robertson, Johnson Aviation of Tyler President Rex Johnson and Historic Aircraft Museum in Tyler employee Tim Spence.

The fourth award was a Bessie Coleman’s Leadership Award presented to U.S. Army veteran and businesswoman Jo Ann M. Allen, who was selected by the donor of the Coleman artwork.