Anneographies » Bessie

April 15 Birthday: Bessie Smith

Anne — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:02:22 +0000

Bessie Smith, musician

Apr. 15, 1894-Sept. 26, 1937

The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World by Julius Lester,illustrated by Lisa Cohen (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2001)

Smith hit the road as a singer at the age of 17. She was known for her big voice. Her first record was called Downhearted Blues.

Read more about Smith on the PBS site about Ken Burns’ film, Jazz.

January 26 Birthday: Bessie Coleman

Anne — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:40:42 +0000

Bessie Coleman, aviator

Jan. 26, 1892-Apr. 30, 1926

Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Orchard, 2002)

The first African-American woman airplane pilot’s story is told in approximately two-dozen fictionalized poems a.k.a. eulogies about her life.

PBS features a bio and photo of Coleman on their Fly Girls page.

September 3 Birthday: Bessie Delany

Anne — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:24:41 +0000

Bessie Delany, dentist and author

Sept. 3, 1891- Sept. 25,1995

Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)

Bessie Delany, who lived to be 104, came to national attention when she and her sister and a New York Times reporter collaborated on the story of her and her sister’s life: Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years. Delany was the second African American woman to become a dentist in NY.

For more information about Bessie Delany, visit the Columbia250 web site.