Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Willa Brown
1906-1992
| | Bronzeville Walk of Fame | |
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026
1. Willa Brown Marker
Pilot, flight instructor, and owner of the Harlem Airport
Erected 1996 by City of Chicago.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Air & Space • Women. In addition, it is included in the Bronzeville Walk of Fame series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.
Location. 41° 50.352′ N, 87° 37.058′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Douglas (Bronzeville). It is on South Martin Luther King Drive north of East 31st Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60616, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lou Rawls (within
this page online
More about this marker. Roughly 100 Bronzeville Walk of Fame markers are found around the neighborhood along Martin Luther King Drive between 25th and 35th Streets.
Regarding Willa Brown. Willa Brown was, among other things, the first Black woman to earn a pilot's license in the United States and the first Black woman to run for Congress.
Harlem Airport was located at 87th and Harlem Avenue in what is today the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview.
Also see . . .
1. Masterful Willa Brown (1906-1992). A profile from DOM Magazine. (Submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. A Former Southwest Chicago Suburban Airfield's Connection to Aviation History.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 14, 2026
2. Willa Brown Marker on the west side of King Drive
Olivet Baptist Church is in the background.
Excerpt: "One of those 'girl students' was Willa Brown, a former Curtiss-Wright student of Coffey's. In 1938, the pert 27-year-old traveled to Harlem to take flying lessons from her old teacher. Two years earlier, Brown, a former Gary, Indiana schoolteacher with a master's degree in business administration, had strutted into the Chicago Defender newsroom in jodhpurs and boots to promote an amateur airshow at Harlem. City editor Enoc Waters was so taken by her that he assigned himself to cover the event. At Harlem, Brown became the first Negro woman to earn a pilot's license in the United States. She became indispensable to Coffey's operation and the Negro aviation movement. For a time, she also was Coffey's wife. In 1939, editor Waters proposed that the Challenger Air Pilots Association broaden its scope; within weeks, the new National Airman's Association was chartered, with Coffey as president, Dale White as vice president, Brown as secretary, and Waters as the group's unofficial promoter."(Submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Still Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division, National Archives, circa 1941
3. Willa Brown
Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 17, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
