The general populace needs to understand the contributions made by black pioneers such as Bessie Coleman, Eugene Bullard (the Black Swallow of Death), Cornelius Coffey, Alfred "Chief" Anderson, the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the 332nd Fighter Group and the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the Negro Airmen International (NAI), Guion Bluford, Marlon Greene, Carl Burhanan CW4, and thousands of others. Black American Aviation history was first made in the early 1900's, and continues to be made each and every day.

The need for an airline organization for members of color was recognized as early as 1963 when airlines first began hiring black pilots. Role models and sources of airline information were not easily available for early black aspirants. Though the Tuskegee Airmen and NAI were in place and doing an excellent job, the intricacies of the closed airline club had yet to be experienced by black aviators.

This changed in 1976, when Benjamin Thomas, a black airline pilot with Eastern Airlines, decided to devote his energy to the birth of the Organization of Black Airline Pilots (OBAP). Although plagued by pitfalls and detours that year, Ben persevered. The first meeting of OBAP was held in Chicago, Illinois in September, 1976

The organizational structure of OBAP is similar to other organizations. Policy is guided by a seven member board of directors. Other officers include the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, various appointed positions, and committee heads. One distinct structural difference is that OBAP has regional vice-presidents who are responsible for the hands-on administration of five defined geographic regions.