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Carole Hopson "A Pair of Wings"

Author Event and Book Signing

Pilot, author, and speaker Carole Hopson visits Prince George's County to discuss her book, "A Pair of Wings: Based on the Life of Pioneer Aviatrix Bessie Coleman," and the 100 Pairs of Wings Project, which encourages Black women to become aviators. Co-presented with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

"A Pair of Wings" is an epic novel about the life of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman. Arriving in Chicago in 1915, Coleman is in the first wave of African Americans to be part of the Great Migration, the largest movement of Black people fleeing the agricultural South towards the promise of opportunity in the North. By 1921, America was a nation of change, steeped in both turmoil and progress. Jim Crow laws forced segregation in the South, lynchings terrorized, prohibition loomed, and Tulsa, Oklahoma smoldered after being bombed from the air. While American women had just earned the right to vote, Coleman can find no one willing to teach a Black woman to fly. Undaunted, she learns French and travels by ship to France in order to fulfill her dream of earning a brevet. As the 1920s progress, Coleman comes of age, and both aviation and the Great Migration continue in parallel. Hardscrabble and burnished, Coleman becomes the only woman in the world to compel these lines of latitude to bend and intersect. Just as she translates deftly from English to French, she also converts wargame maneuvers into daring, graceful, and swashbuckling performances which she brings back to the United States. This fearless woman inspires a nation, earning the nicknames Daredevil, Queen Bess, and Brave Bessie for her breathtaking airshows. A full century after her accomplishments, Coleman’s story is brought to life by author Carole Hopson. A United Airlines pilot who flies the Boeing 737, Hopson, considers Bessie Coleman the pioneer who cut the path for her and believes that it is her job to continue Coleman’s work to make that path wider for those who follow. It’s Coleman’s bold determination and courage that lifted Hopson, as well as an entire people upon A Pair of Wings.

Carole Hopson flies the Boeing 737 for United Airlines as a First Officer based in Newark, New Jersey. She flew for ExpressJet Airlines before joining United. After successful and varied careers as a journalist and as an executive, she followed her dream to become a pilot and to share that passion with others as a flight instructor––all while raising a family. She and her husband Michael, make their home in Jersey City, NJ with two teenage sons. Carole’s undergraduate work at the University of Virginia, followed by earning her Master’s Degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, set her firmly on the path of her early love—journalism. Her first job in the field was as a stringer for The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Tribune, and after moving to New Jersey she joined the Bergen Record as a police reporter. From journalism, Carole moved on to a variety of executive positions in the corporate world, first at the National Football League, then as Vice President/Director of Training and Development at Foot Locker, and later as the Director of Human Resources for Supply Chain Operations at L’Oreal. Despite achieving success in these varied fields, Carole still yearned to pursue her childhood passion. So at the peak of her corporate accomplishments, Carole walked away from executive-level positions in order to learn to fly. Today, Carole continues to share her moving personal story to youth and professionals of all levels who are looking to find their own pair of wings. 

The 100 Pairs of Wings Project aims to send 100 African American women to the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Flight Academy, a part of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals by the year 2035. As the aviation industry faces a shortage of pilots, we encourage dreamers of every hue to join us. In this remarkable age of widening opportunity, fewer than 150 women of African descent fly for the regional, military, corporate, cargo, or major airlines combined. The 100 Pairs of Wings project will increase their representation in the aviation industry.

Please request accessibility accommodations at least 72 hours in advance by emailing pr@pgcmls.info or calling (240) 455-5451.

Purchase a copy of the book from Mahogany Books. A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the event through the PGCMLS Foundation. Credit card and checks encouraged.

Event Format

This event will take place indoors, in-person at the South Bowie Branch Library as part of the PGCMLS COVID-19 Phased Reopening Plan. The event will also be livestreamed on PGCMLS social media. Please be advised that the status, location, or format of this event may change based on COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Please visit this page prior to traveling to the branch/venue for the program.

Face masks and physical distancing are required for all participants over the age of 2.
Please register via the link on this page or by calling (240) 455-5451 to show interest and to receive event updates.
Registration does not guarantee admission.
Participation is permitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Capacity limits may apply.