Women Rock Wings

It is black history month, and why not start this month with some BLACK GIRL MAGIC! This is my FIRST interview on the blog. I am excited to share my interview with my Soror, my friend, Meagan S. Davis. She is an inspiration, is so positive and is such a light. She is the creator of Women Rock Wings. The social organization meant to empower, support, promote, and connect women in Aviation.

Lift Every Voice
At the beginning of our interview, I was immediately blown away by some of the statistics Meagan gave. Meagan said she is among the 5% of female Chaplains in the Air Force. That number lowers when it comes to black female Chaplains in the Air Force. She told me about her promotion ceremony to Captain. Meagan honored her black heritage by singing the Black National Anthem with her loved ones. She went on to explain how there were people who were lynched in the same outfit that she wore during the ceremony. She felt the importance of paying homage to those shoulders that she stands on. Though some of the people who were not Black did not know the words. The song resonated with the significance and how she valued her promotion.

Representation Matters
When Meagan started in the Air Force, she took an Aptitude Battery test. She scored exceptionally well on mechanics. The scores even surprised Meagan. She joked that the only thing she’s ever put together in her life before then was a light bulb. But, this score would open up an array of jobs for her.

Meagan’s recruiter encouraged her to go for the Aircraft Electrical & Environmental Systems Specialist position (Very long title). He told Meagan that few women have this position, and even fewer Black women have held this position. Meagan then went out on faith and took on the Aircraft Electrical & Environmental Systems Specialist role. She went through boot camp and technical training. Meagan was the only female and then the only Black person in her class during her technical training graduation.

While Meagan was treated well by her peers, there were times she did experience microaggressions. She recalled a time when she went to work on an aircraft, and she would get ignored. Or someone would speak to her male counterpart instead of talking to her directly. But on the bright side, she said when she was on shift, the bathrooms were empty. Yet, Meagan did say, “But I’ve had more good experiences than bad, but the bad ones are exceptionally prevalent.”

The Turning Point
Meagan took a few years off from aviation mechanics to be a Chaplain for the Air Force. But found herself back to find her wings. In 2018 she was in her duty station at Dover Air Force Space. She saw two Black Officers, and one in their Flight Suit. This was only the first second time she met active serving pilots. When she saw them, she immediately ran over to them (in civilian clothes) to introduce herself. Coincidently, they also never met a Black women Chaplain before. When she continued to speak to them. She learned they took a group of young people 14 -20 to teach them how to fly in a 4-week program called A.C.E (Aviation Character Education).

This was an opportunity for Meagan to attend some of the program’s events. She also gave the Inaugural Graduation Invocation.

During that time, she also met her mentor, Major William CJ Charlton. He asked Meagan, “Have you ever thought about flying?”

At first she struggled to say yes or no. She said because, before that, it wasn’t in her purview. When she heard that question, she thought about the times when she did think about flying. But she also thought about how many times she probably dispelled the thought in her mind.

Major Charlton then spoke to Meagan about his alma mater, Delaware State University. Delaware State University is one of the 9 HBCUs with an Aviation Program. Meagan had always thought about going to an HBCU, but it was not in God’s plan in her early years. Unknowingly, years later, she would apply to the pilot program at Delaware State University.

To keep her options open, Meagan also applied for active duty. She spoke to God and put her feet to her faith, and said, “Whatever you have for me is where I need to be.”

She did not get accepted to active duty, but she got into the program. Meagan started her program at the beginning of 2020 after an active duty tour. She is now transient between New York and Delaware.

Taking Flight
Meagan’s first flight was something called a discovery flight in April 2019. A discovery flight is to help acclimate student flyers to the flying experience. She said a first discovery flight could be either an incredible life-changing or a terrifying experience for a student.

As the plane got off the ground, Meagan said, her excitement grew more and more. During the flight, her instructor taught her some turns on the plane. Just then, she knew she had to do it. This meant so much to her because she said to herself, “black people don’t do this” before the flight took off. Not saying that we as Black people don’t seek new opportunities. But some of these opportunities like this were out of reach for so long. Ultimately, this first flight removed all inhibitions for Meagan. She no longer heard feelings of doubt. Flying became something she needed to do.

Meagan’s first solo flight was even more powerful than her first discovery flight. This time, she looked to her left and right and realized it was alone. As she got to the hold-short line, she made her final call as tears came down her face. These were not tears of fear, or worry, but these were tears of accomplishment. At that moment, she thought about her mother and grandmother. She savored that moment once she took off. She felt exhilarated and other indescribable feelings.

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When God Calls
I was utterly floored by this story because she was called to do something different. She agreed. She explained that there were so many claims that other people had over her life. People always thought that they knew she should do or what path she should take. But God called her to do something different. Meagan replied, “You don’t have to be what somebody else feels you should be. You don’t. You have to be what God says you should be.”

Women Rock Wings
We then talked about Women Rock Wings. Meagan laughed at the fact that she started giving her “Women Rock Wings” T-Shirts out for free.

In Meagan’s Aviation program, they had these big study halls. In these study halls students at different training levels would complete group study sessions. The study halls were an excellent way for her and her peers to work together on their shared vision. At first, it was very interactive and comforting for her to be in a space where she had support. But once the pandemic hit, the way everyone learned changed drastically. And studying became more isolated than as hands on as it once was. During that time of distant learning, Meagan kept affirming to herself and her peers. She would say that her peers of women “Rocked” and they can do this. This ended up being a term that she lived by; Women Rock Wings.

She quickly discovered that no one owned the phrase or the website. She then created a logo. And sat on it for a couple of months until her partner reminded her about the idea. She again put faith to her feet and quickly started working on her social group, Women Rock Wings. She created an Instagram page, made shirts, and started working on content for the organization.

In December, she decided to give out shirts to 5 women for Give Back Tuesday. All the women had to do was send her pictures or videos of them flying. She realized that people might not know who she is and be hesitant to share photos of themselves without explaining who she is first. From that, she knew she would need to reveal to everyone what she had been working on for so long. Once she shared her story, an outpour of people reached out to her. Women asked for advice and information on flying and requirements to become a pilot.

This is where Women Rock Wings purpose came to action. The purpose of the organization is to connect, empower, support, and promote women in aviation. She began helping women connect to 501C3s for scholarships. She also wants to create a mentorship program, a study buddy program sessions. Meagan has even created a group on Clubhouse. The group is called Black Girls Fly Too, to further connection and conversations about women in aviation. She hopes to amplify voices.

Women Rock Wings now stands tall with three team members, and Meagan is currently looking for a fourth team member. The website is set to launch very soon, so look out for it!

Meagan’s story shows the true meaning of why women rock and why Women Rock Wings is such a groundbreaking social group. This opens a door for so many Black women to explore something new and reach beyond the box that someone else has set for them.

Self-Care
You may think that Meagan does not have enough time for herself in all she does, but that is not the case! Though Meagan has accomplished so much she still makes time to pray and stay deep in her word. Praying and therapy has helped combat some of the anxiety that she dealt with in the past. She repeated how important it is to be in therapy. In Seminary, therapy was mandated for everyone in the program and she believed that further cemented her belief in the importance of therapy. Also as a tool for self-care Meagan likes to get pedicures, reading, and appreciating safe spaces.

Special Thanks
Meagan gives special thanks to her fiancé Kibwè, mother, Grandmother, her goddaughter Aaliyah, her Women Rocks Wings Team, her Beyond Our Visionz Team, her Spec Victoria, Dalcomm Tech and the rest of her community that supports her!

You can follow Women Rock Wings on IG at @WomenRockWings