A spotlight on pilots of African ancestry who fought in World War I

Eugene Jacques Bullard

Eugene Jacques Bullard

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Born in Columbus, Georgia in 1895, Eugene Jacques Bullard was the first African-American military pilot. Bullard’s father was from Martinique. His descendants, who were enslaved in Haiti moved to the United States during the Haitian Revolution.

Eugene Jacques Bullard

Bullard stayed in the United Kingdom then later in France after leaving the United States to escape racial discrimination. He flew for France during the First World War.