U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature For February 10

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily Black History Month feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10: WILLA BROWN

Profile America for the 10th day of Black History Month.  Willa Brown was the first African-American woman to earn a commercial pilot's license.  Her love of flying was such that when she started taking flying lessons, she bought her own plane.  She received her pilot's license in 1937, along with a master's degree from Northwestern University.  The next year, Willa Brown started her own flying school, training some 200 African-American pilots through 1945.  Some of these pilots later became part of the Tuskegee Airmen, the famous African-American fighter squadron in World War II.  She also became the first black woman in the Civil Air Patrol.  Today, over 594,000 Americans hold pilots' licenses, close to 37,000 of them women.  This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Sources:  www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/brown-wb.html www.womeninaviation.com/willa.html 

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1083

Profile America Special Edition:  Black History Month  2012  is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov  (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

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