Dr. Tamika Cross couldn’t believe the blatant disrespect. After years of earning the right to work as a medical doctor, a Delta employee snubbed her when a man was on the verge of dying.
Dr. Cross’s Facebook post went viral after she revealed how she faced discrimination while on the flight. When Dr. Cross raised her hand to assist the man in need, the flight attendant said, “Oh, no sweetie, put your hand down, we are looking for actual physicians.”
The flight attendant also questioned Dr. Cross on her credentials and asked why she was flying from Detroit. After questioning Cross, the flight attendant eventually responded to a “seasoned” White male who said he was a doctor without asking for his credentials.
Since Dr. Cross released her post on Facebook, she has received the support from Artemis Medical Society. The organization is an advocacy group for Black women who are doctors. The organization sent a letter to the CEO of Delta Air Lines, Ed Bastian and want action to be taken against the fight attendant. They initially asked for Delta to “investigate and determine if racial and gender bias by crew of Flight 945 led to rejecting the response and offer by Dr. Cross to provide emergency medical care to your passenger.”
The incident reveals how unconscious racism can be more detrimental than overt racism. It’s possible that the flight attendant doesn’t even see themself as a racist. But when confronted with a situation where race was a choice, the flight attendant snubbed Dr. Cross and showed respect to the While male.
Delta responded to the incident by saying the company ”condemns discrimination toward our customers in regards to age, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or gender.”
Delta said the company reached out to Dr. Cross and a full investigation is currently taking place.
