THIS IS A BLOCK OF 4 STAMPS AS PICTURED. ~ In 1995 the USPS issued the 18th stamp in the Black Heritage series, this commemorative features Bessie Coleman, or "Queen Bess," as she came to be known, in her leather flight cap and goggles. Coleman was the first African-American female aviator. Born in a one-room cabin, she achieved her dream of becoming a pilot during a time when most African-Americans would not have even considered learning to fly. Coleman was killed on April 30, 1926, when the controls failed on the airplane in which she was a passenger.