Fath David Ruffins

“BANNING'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN AVIATION ARE REMARKABLE”

"He was the first African American to successfully fly coast-to-coast from Los Angeles to New York and the first African American to receive a U.S. Department of Commerce pilot's license. But that is not his entire story. Banning's talent, tenacity and courage to overcome the challenges of segregation, prejudice, and the poverty of the Great Depression are the qualities that make him a hero."

— Fath David Ruffins, Curator of African American History and Culture, National Museum of American History