You could make an argument that airlines are only in it for the money. If you did, I don’t think anyone would contradict you. After all, they’ve gotten bailout after bailout over the years. And that’s on top of all the ways they’ve figured out to nickel and dime us for everything from checked luggage to choosing our seat. So yeah, as a business, I could see how money is very important to them.
And yet, I think Delta still has…a good set of morals and values? Yes, that’s it. Read on…
Demetria P. is a smart, enterprising woman who looks like she will have a great future ahead of her. An elementary school teacher by profession, she’s the founder and CEO of a tutoring company, Scholar School LLC, based in Minneapolis. And she’s only 25!
Demetria, who is Black, was on a Delta flight to Washington DC recently, when she became involved in a very uncomfortable racial situation. Here’s what she posted on her Facebook:
So on my way to DC Thursday, a white woman who I helped with her bags sat next to me on the plane. She left her sit and came back with a blue lives matter mask on and a pin to match. She proceeded to remain silent until take off but once we took off she started the conversation with me by saying, “I support blue lives because I support our officers.”
I explained to her blue lives do not exist. The life of an officer exist but there is no such thing as a blue life and that statement is nothing but a rebuttal to the fact that BLM has been disregarded time after time after time.
She proceed to make all types of statements like, “Africans from the west sold the most slaves,” “The reason Blacks we’re 3/4th was because the south would have too many votes,” “Having Blacks in America has been the best thing for them because they can work they way up.”
Long story short the white women and man who sat around us snapppped on this lady in my defense. The flight attendants came over to check on me and offered to move her. Once we landed in DC they told me that she would not be flying with Delta anymore because they do not personally or as a company stand for racism and discrimination.
So yesterday on my flight home I got a special delivery, my seat was upgraded before I even boarded, and I got some gifts from Delta.
I said all this to say that it’s time and situations like these were these companies need to take a stance! This furthers why I will only fly Delta Air Lines! At this point make me an ambassador Delta
I just thank God that this didn’t flip onto me because too many cases Black people are guilty until proven innocent
“I come as one but I stand as 10,000” -Maya Angelou
Here’s what Delta gave her:
Besides the seat upgrade and all the goodies, the best part was the pin Delta gave her:
I’ve thought about what happened in the situation, from a business point of view. The flight attendants offering to move the bigoted woman so she wouldn’t bother Demetria could normally just be seen as a way to “put out a fire.” Giving Demetria the upgrade on the way home could arguably be seen as a simple gesture to soothe a customer who had a bad experience on one of their planes. You know, service recovery.
But putting the racist woman on their “Do Not Fly” list showed that Delta was willing to do the right thing. And the #BLM pin with the Delta logo? You KNOW they didn’t just have that made for Demetria – it shows that #BLM is an important part of Delta’s culture.
Y’know, as embarrassed as I am that someone with the same skin color as me could be so hateful, and as glad as I am that, in the end, Demetria wound up with a happy ending, I think my strongest emotion at the moment is pride and trust in Delta. You don’t always get to say that about airlines nowadays.
Delta Air Lines: When we say Black lives matter, we mean it. You matter to us, Demetria.
*** Many thanks to Demetria for allowing us to share her words, photos and story.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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