Sky’s the limit: Black pilots’ group looks at successes, challenges 50 years after Chicago founding

After flying B-52 bombers for the U.S. Air Force, David Harris should have qualified as a commercial pilot as did many of his peers back in 1964.

But the color of his skin was a barrier for the Black aviator from Ohio, who died in 2024.

“There were no Black pilots flying on major airlines,” Harris recalled in a video produced by the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP).

Undaunted, he sent out applications. “I had about half a dozen that said no and finally American (Airlines) said yes,” Harris recounted.

It was a groundbreaking moment for aviation and Harris, the first Black commercial pilot in the U.S. and a founding member of OBAP.

The advocacy group formed in 1976 when 37 Black pilots gathered at the Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport to come up with a way to address discrimination.

“As Black folks, we’ve had to break a lot of glass ceilings,” Harris said.

OBAP marked its 50th anniversary with American Airlines officials Tuesday by announcing a new partnership to grow the numbers of Black aerospace professionals, and an August convention in Chicago.

Retired American pilot Ray Washington of St. Charles credits OBAP and mentors like Harris with easing his career path.

“All I did was follow in his footsteps,” said Washington, a former Air Force pilot who joined American in 1979.

Asked if he experienced racism on the job, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t, but I don’t let it bother me,” Washington explained.

What’s his message to young people? “I did it and you can do it,” Washington said. “If you are inspired to be an astronaut or pilot, go for it.”

Less than 4% of commercial pilots in the U.S. are Black and fewer than 1% are women, OBAP officials said.

“Progress has been made, 50 years of incredible progress, but work remains,” American Senior Vice President of Flight Operations J.C. Gulbranson said. The carrier, which is marking its 100th anniversary, is a major sponsor of the OBAP convention.

A crucial goal is “ensuring that everyone has access to the incredible careers in our industry, especially people in underrepresented communities,” Gulbranson noted.

Along with connecting members and advocating on issues, OBAP offers professional development, youth education programs and scholarships to help with flight training costs, which run about $100,000.

“The future of aviation demands innovation, it demands diverse talent, it demands leadership — leadership that reflects the world that we serve,” OBAP Board Chair and pilot Tennessee Garvey said.

In 2025, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the department would eliminate all Biden-era diversity, equity and inclusion policies, saying “roads, rails, skies, and waters will be safer for it.”

Garvey said “it’s all about perception.” When companies work to ensure they have a diverse workforce and job opportunities are accessible to all, “there’s a perception that in some way, shape or form that safety becomes compromised,” he said.

“What we want to emphasize is the standards have never changed. All the airlines, irrespective of whether it’s a pilot or a mechanic, they want to hire the best of the best,” Garvey said. “When it comes to the interview process, they’re looking for the best of the best. When it comes to the training process, they’re training the best of the best.”

OBAP member Beth Powell grew up in Jamaica in a small town with “goats roaming on the road” and a mother who prioritized giving her daughter a good education.

Powell knew she’d found her calling at age 15 taking off in a plane with an instructor. But later at flight school in America, she was “one of a few, if not the only,” female student of color.

Powell persisted, and is now an American Airlines captain flying 737s.

When she greets passengers after landing, “I love going out there for that little girl who needs to see me.”