United Airlines operated a pretty remarkable flight yesterday.
Continue reading: United Airlines Operates Juneteenth Flight With All-Black Team
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Its a celebration for primarily Blacks, but ALSO for humanity, you IDIOTS !!!!!! In a world where you can choose to be anything----why not CHOOSE TO BE KIND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really don't know what the big deal is.
It is an everyday thing that blacks have been doing these things for years and years, as good as whites. This flight should had been celebrated 60 years ago.
I wonder what percentage black you had to be to be sufficiently black?
What a patronizing and demeaning idea this is.
Love this! It’s important for kids of color to see people that look like them as role models in fields that are predominantly white - and male. About 12 years back ASA (then a Delta Connection carrier) had by chance the first all black women crew (pilots and flight attendants). They were in the media and I’m sure helped spark the interest of aviation to some kids of color.
I’m sorry….as a privileged white woman I was incredibly moved by this…I think it’s wonderful….Legal? They’re all just doing their job, but the Airline celebrated them. What’s wrong with that???
Bob, Dc, and Airfarer - your comments are exactly why we still need to highlight and celebrate these special flights. Until it's not so special to see women and minorities in these roles - I'm glad that Ben is writing about them.
If the pax were all white that would be like bringing back colonial days.
United initiative will backfire. There is a reason for the gender/race stats as they are.
"This is part of a larger diversity effort from United"
Single race crew
Single race dispatch team
Single race ground crew
Diversity?
Wouldn't a diversity flight have people from every race, religion, sexual orientation, etc?
Instead, you take these highly-qualified individuals and pull them together and say - as you would about a child - look what African Americans can do. Seems a little demeaning.
Why are white men so scared of minorities doing well? This is a flight to highlight the accomplishments of people of color at United. Why is that a bad thing? It exemplifies that United is a welcoming and inclusive work place...which to me is a smart business decision. Things like this would make me want to work for UA if I was a minority.
Mediocre white me have coasted for decades and are terrified their free ride is over.
It is sad that people like you don't know that black people are doing these jobs every day. And they do them well.
I was very proud to see this being done together anything is possible good team great job yes i ride with United Airline
An absolutely fabulous way for United to commemorate this long overdue, brand new holiday.
My cousin was part of an all female crew several years ago, another major milestone.
If this had been done in the late 60s or 70s it would be more significant. To bring together a crew that is all African American when they already employ thousands of African Americans is not really significant from any meaningful way, but is good PR from their view. I don’t care personally. More concerned that they fly well maintained aircraft with the most seasoned pilots and crew whomever they may be.
Yessss, I'm retired. I don't see anything wrong with this. It's a celebration.
Good intent but was it really good from the optics of it? After all, United is the plantation and the boss. The slaves are the employees. Instead, it should have been all non-Black personnel flying with all the non-rev seats by United Black employees.
If United tried an all White team, it might be difficult. Many of the baggage handlers are Black.
If United tried an all Asian team, it would probably be impossible unless they brought in a few people from other stations.
If United tried an all Japanese-American team, it would probably be impossible unless they redefined the team to be only pilots and FA's, not all the ground staff.
White men are not scared of minorities doing well - just look at the professional sports leagues. In sports the best person gets the job, period. Yet in fields like aviation, this is not the case or they would not need to have preferential hiring or company diversity officers.
The diversity scam is just another tool of corporate America to divert our attention from how they screw working Americans. My daughter who is Filipino just had her job outsourced to India.
@Bob, @Tom:
points well taken, but this is not about diversity in general. It's about Juneteenth - and a specific type of diversity.
I do find it both surprising and alarming that less than 1% of pilots are persons of color. Granted flying a plane has nothing to do with the color of your skin. But when a group is SO underrepresented, it's always good to stop and do a check and ask why.
Rafa, not sure how old you are, but I assure you the 1960s and 70's was hardly the colonial days. But I do think it's interesting that you reference a period where the majority of Black people were neither free or considered American. I see you.
Please explain how you are systemically oppressed by this and kept from opportunities?
To those clutching their pearls about a singular flight that celebrates all-Black crews and saying "hOw Is ThAt DiVeRsItY!?!:" We don't celebrate white crews because that's the vast majority of *every single flight* that goes out on every single airline. It's patently ridiculous that a tiny fraction of pilots are POC compared to the percentage of POC in America. Regardless of whether you agree or not, this is going to continue. Buckle up, buckaroo. You can either continue whining like a white nationalist child that spilled their milk or you can accept it and move on.
These responses are so funny to me!!! What Do you mean is this legal? Every single employee in these pictures is exactly that…an employee of the airline. They are allowed to work this flight with an all Black crew. Is it illegal if the crew is all white???
United is a very diverse airline.. they get the purpose and the meaning of havng an all Black crew for this Juneteenth Celebration…
I did not hear all the negative chatter when an all female Crew was featured…Nothing but praise and nobody said anything about how subservient it would look to the passengers to have all females serving them…Your panic of our country turning into majority minority is showing… Calm down go with the flow…It’s going to happen no matter what
Stupid comment. There’re flights like that 100s of them EVERYDAY. So what. When uniformed people like you rush to comment as if you’re a scholar & don’t know how much you don’t know, it’s nauseating. There are flights for dying kids only, for soldiers only, there are flights that the crew is all white or all Asian or all East Indian or all Jewish. All women only including pilots. What is your point. Educate yourself then come back
If United did this as a complete white group of employees it would be discrimination, why now is it ok for this be ok for the black community, I am very disappointed all races should have been included and I am a former UAL employee
wouldn't this for the contemporary definition of racism? Why would anyone be celebrating this?
I loved seeing this! All I can think of is all the African American kids in the airport that saw this and thought how cool is this! It’s a wonderful display of how far the airlines have come! For the longest time pilots and flight crew where always white Americans.
I’ve only seen a entire black crew while flying home from Africa. This was awesome!!!
United does not understand the term diversity. This is an unfortunate grandstanding effort. We we do not notice the diversity we will have finally become one America. Poor United Marketing department!
Shame on United Airlines and all involved. Just another example of race division at a time we should be coming together as one. Unfortunately our children of all races are seeing this as division by color.
Do not listen to the hateful naysayers! Congratulations on this effort of unity that seeks to highlight a national unity that has been missing from the American landscape for far too long. Hatred and ignorance are the roots of racism, and our country has tolerated both far too long! As an educator and a proud citizen of our nation I celebrate marking memorable events in this manner!!! We all have more work to do, in resolving our nation's struggles, and I hope we keep eliminating the hateful ( some of who commented here) while seeking opportunities to join in unifying celebrations such as United Airlines displayed! This is how the "new" America will progress...keep eliminating the voice of the hateful and rejoice in seeking ways to unify us ALL!
Oh please! Do not be the "cog" that keeps stopping progress!!! Look closely at the details and try to employee some critical thinking skills...YOUR life and those around you will be much happier!!! Think of what people say when they hear our name...
Just remember what people say about you when you are not around...hmmm, positive or negative? Critical Thinking will silence the naysayers...but you must desire to improve one's intellect so that we can leave behind inflammatory remarks such as this. Facts Fred, facts please!!!
The country is going backwards.
Martin Luther King would cry.
We are one race..HUMAN! United We Stand..Divided We Fall.
Stop! Dividing this country.
I think it is ridiculous. It should not matter what gender, sexual orientation or race you are. If you qualify for the job, it's about your skill. Are mentally and physically fit? If it is only 5% of women, but you want to have 50%, that means that you are discriminating men who could have had that job as well.
One way to look at it is to say let all their Black employees take the day off rather than having them work. Another way to look at it is to note that Blacks are immersed in every aspect of the work force, yet they are often marginalised, with their abilities being questioned - no matter how well trained and experienced they may be. Having an All Black team handle a flight (especially the pilots) should now put one at ease when they get on a plane, glance in the cockpit and see a Black pilot or co-pilot. They can, and have been doing it.
This is so racist what in the world is this suppose to prove,
Where is the equality, this is the most demeaning situation i have ever seen
Stop being racist!
And stop making up racism
Go to church!
Corporations virtue signaling is not a celebration. It’s called being used for a political narrative.
A more meaningful recognition of Juneteenth would be for United to make it a Holiday so these crew members could celebrate with their families instead of having to work. . .
Wow, someone got triggered enough to write explicit racism. Your time is up - go crawl back into whichever hole you came from.
Christians are not systematically discriminated against in contemporary society. There haven't been lions to feed the Christians to in quite some time.
Biden got ~90% of the Black vote...totally just turning in droves to the GOP. At least that's what you probably hear from Tucker.
Ben/Tiffany - this guy is a notorious White Nationalist across the travel blogs. Please send him elsewhere...he doesn't deserve to post here.
Diversity is all well and good, jobs should be allocated on merit not colour or race, whatever United say ,what they have done is “Racist “ without a doubt.
Sure, corporations are ALWAYS thinking of their bottom line first.
But they still didn't HAVE to do this - yet chose to, so kudos to them.
But it's Juneteenth.
On Mothers' day, we celebrate mothers.
On Veterans' day, we celebrate veterans.
So why not celebrate ? It never hurts to be inclusive and show inclusivity, even if it's for optics or scoring brownie points.
Alan sports is a terrible analogy- because excellence in sports is often based on physical attributes.
But in most fields, non-whites still remain underrepresented. Why and how are questions for another day but what's wrong in celebrating them for a change?
Tell that to NFL head coaches - ~70-80% of players are Black, yet only ~10% of head coaches. But so easy for you to just arrogantly say "best person gets the job".
Actually, African Americans (and other minorities) are still way underrepresented in the airlines in top positions. Cockpit crew-- less than 1%, for example.
I agree that I don't care about the color of my pilot's skin as long as they do the job. But it is important for people to see others like them in positions of power, as role models.
How does this work form a collective bargaining point of view? If a non-black higher seniority collective bargaining unit employee wanted to bid for this flight, how does United work thru that issue?
How does this work form a collective bargaining point of view? If a non-black higher seniority collective bargaining unit employee wanted to bid for this flight how does United work thru that issue?
Here's a good drinking game....go to a party with Sel, D and everytime he starts a story with "I'm not racist, but....." we all do a shot.
I think a diversified group of all races celebrating Juneteenth would have been more impressive, and welcoming. It would've also highlighted unity.
How is this not racist...a all black flight crew...if it was a all white crew and being published we would be screamed at saying we were racist
I can’t imagine all these people that are crying foul if an airline showcased an entire crew made up of veterans on Veterans Day to celebrate veterans.
I have agree this is about the least diverse thing you could do. It creates division, just like the holiday. Look at the comments here, that's pretty much how America as a whole reacts (division). Except for the horribly racist post here that's unacceptable. A better way to celebrate Juneteenth would have been a flight crew with all races, sexual orientation, religion, etc.
This is the least diverse thing they could do do. It just creates division (look at the comments) a better way to celebrate juneteeth would be to have a crew of all races, color, sexual orientation, religions, etc. and highlight that. I hate to say but this holiday just creates more division in this country. And the racist comment should be removed.
After being out all day and reading this slew of comments, one might get the idea from too many of them that United fired all of its non-black employees and is now staffing all positions only with African Americans.
Folks I'm pretty sure that yesterday United operated thousand of flights some with very diverse crews, some with mildly diverse crews, and I bet quite a few with all white crews. So what is all the outrage about United operating one flight this way to acknowledge Juneteenth
Right. Because everyone who "merits" gets a fair chance in America...especially if they aren't white. But sure, meritocracy works.
Dunno...how is it legal to have white-only white crews flight after flight after flight after flight after flight after flight after flight....?
JeffP, it's great that you know a few black folks that support your narrative. There are millions of others who think this is wonderful, not to mention millions of non-black folks who do. Maybe you should ask yourself who is using who for a political narrative...
Droves! The "Afro Americans" are turning to the GOP is droves! Look out, folks! JeffP has all the answers for the Black and "Afro Americans!"
Whew! Using Ben Carson as your poster child for meritocracy is about as racist as assuming meritocracy exist in America. JeffP, you are precisely why America is the laughing stock of the free world today.
So why do they left all-white crews, all-white dispatch teams, and all-white ground crews operate every day? Of, right, that's totally fine...
Shaun, you know the answer - white power and privilege cannot be challenged! Just look at how fragile many of the commenters on this article are: it is so scary for white folks to even think that their supremacy may be compromised, let alone questioned!
Could you imagine an all-white flight crew? An all-white nursing unit? An all-white...oh, wait...nevermind...
I can't even imagine why anyone is offended by this. I read it and loved it. Jeez, people. If it was St Patricks Day and they did a whole crew of Irish descendants you would all gush and laugh. God forbid it's African descendants celebrating an important day in their history in this country. Many of you should be ashamed. Mostly just embarrassed.
United Airlines needs too keep this same energy in those Executice Corporate positions in Chicago and not just for the camera! There needs too be some pepper sprinkled throughout the Executive level and not just 1 Black person with an "Ex Security Guard" title either!
The outrage is whiteness doing what whiteness does. White people seeing someone else getting some kind of special recognition is immediately unfair and "reverse racism" because, clearly, only whiteness deserves special recognition - just ask all the Republican lawmakers telling educators what the can and cannot teach about American history...
I like to think positive, but this just struck me as being dameaning. Like, look we have black people. I think it is great they have jobs just like people of all races. I am very comfortable with any race staffing as long as they are qualified to do the job, which obviously these people are, but why make race a issue?
Sports is the perfect analogy. If a person’s attributes are there, whether physical or intellectual, and if the person applies him/herself to refine that attribute, that person should qualify for the basketball player/airline pilot job based on merit alone.
Political correctness gets too crazy. Is United going to have all Chinese, all Mexican, all Arabia, all Polish, all ... , to show Diversity? It’s just ridiculous. First of all, single race just goes to opposite side of diversity; second, an Airlines company should put the best team for passenger safety, comfort, laser focus on optimizing service only, not prepare such political shows.
Great job United!
My wish is that all of America would see the full potential of African-Americans through inclusion.
Instead of the divisive policies and misrepresented critique of Critical Race Theory ( Wokeness), and exclusionary voter suppression tactics.
Hopefully, America will live up to it's full potential one day, before China dominates the world economically : " With Liberty & Justice for All!"
This is the more detailed version of the "How is this legal?" question raised in the early comments. UA has ways of working around this for special flights - inaugural flights to new destinations and contracted charters are included in this situation.
This is one of my proudest moments of my lifetime! Thanks so much United Airlines! I wish your company, much success in the future.
This is one of those holidays that an entire country should rally around and celebrate. But unfortunately, like so many of these, groups and people make it one sided. I get the big event was slaves being freed. What an awesome thing! But a lot of people fought a war to make that happen, with many losing their lives. They're not even considered or are an afterthought. And now we're told we're racists and part of systemic racism. That's really, really sad.
This is totally racist, imagine an entire effort by Whites to exclude every other race?
@FMLAX
I don't know which is the bigger hypocrisy: you admonishing everyone for not choosing to be kind only after calling them idiots... Or.... United bragging about a "<> flight" and calling it a "part of a larger <> effort from United"...
Think about that for a minute...
Great to see, but it is an identity as very few Black Americans are actually black, most have a significant amount of white ancestry. Most Black Americans would also be considered as coloured rather than Black in Africa.
Diversity means inclusive of everyone, not something where you purposely exclude all but a single race. Sorry, but I consider this to be a virtue signaling stunt that is exclusive, not inclusive.
I would respectfully disagree, because that's exactly the point: you *don't* have African Americans well represented in aviation-- sports is the exception rather than the rule.
There is no inherent reason that aviation should be disproportionately represented.
Bingo- you said it better than I ever could, Ralph4878.
"whiteness doing what whiteness does" .
The moment some other group gets recognition or a leg up, it's immediately flagged as something unfair. Example- the commenters above who invert the situation into "what if it were instead an all white crew", failing to recognize that the default today usually IS an all white crew.
When will we recognize that being inclusive of others doesn't need to detract from our own selves.
A lot of the posts seem to miss the spirit of diversity, which is about increasing representation of previously UNDER-REPRESENTED groups. That is why the "what if it were an all-male or all-white crew" is not really an analogy.
Let's say United did a "mothers day special" where the entire crew were women with children, to show you can have a career and a family. Or on Veterans' day, had a crew exclusively represented by Veterans (many fighter pilots do move on to civil aviation careers).
Would we be saluting them or saying they should have included non-veterans too to make it diverse.
Just my two cents.
Why do you question the legality, because mediocre you isn’t included? You poor soul, this whole thing was put in place by white males, for white males, to benefit white males, if you haven’t figured
out how to get your piece of the pie is on mediocre white you. You need to stop whining, we Black folks have had to sit them all white everything for 200+ years, get over it.
I don't get the people complaining about this. It's ONE DAY to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US and ONE FLIGHT. What is your problem; what are you personally giving up to see this happen? Can these professionals not have this as a community at UA? Curious as to the reasoning, since it took so long for these people to achieve such accomplishments and be acknowledged (and yet so many want to take that away STILL.)
This would be inappropriate if it were an all white crew. An all black crew is not inappropriate. Is this a double standard? No, it is not. Black people are an underrepresented group in aviation, and white people are not. Look at Ben's statistics regarding representation. It is okay to promote minority groups, it isn't a double standard.
Yes such an effort by Whites would be totally impossible to imagine. Could never have happened in our past.
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What are you even talking about ? Did you even study English as a language during your schooling ?
This is shocking United airlines is so racist how can they have a African American crew without having any whites that is the most racist thing I have heard
Not even a first…
Check out the 2004 documentary about a Black owned airline with an all black crew, Soul Plane
No...they are seeing that representation of folks who have been traditionally excluded matters. Your all lives matter argument here misses the point of this celebration completely.
What's up w/all the white supremacist-types flooding this thread w/faux-outrage? It's like moths flocking to a candle.
@David, you are missing the point completely. No one is calling white folks racist in celebrating Juneteenth or celebrating representation of traditionally excluded folks...and Juneteenth isn't about "slaves being freed' - that was the Emancipation Proclamation. Please read about what Juneteenth actually signifies, what it commemorates. Then, ask yourself what it is about this celebration being "one sided" that makes you feel so uncomfortable. You might not like what you see if you are honest with yourself, but at least it's a starting point from which to work.
Um, no, that's not what diversity means...inclusion of everyone is equality...diversity and equity are different things.
I’m not sure it has anything to do with being terrorized as much as it is about assigning a job to someone based on race. Racism has always been ugly. It will always be ugly anytime one race is favored over another. Being exclusive simply cannot be labeled inclusive and somehow be true.
Well done United. This is symbolic and not policy. For years there have been all white crews, and still today most flights are all white, as blacks did not have the resources or the means to fly the aircraft. This is a proud display of the accomplishments that have been made as it relates to race relations. Inclusion at its best.
Were there any issues with unions? My understanding is flights are staffed according to seniority?
Scary that we live in a time where it’s okay and even often celebrated to make negative generalizations about certain races. If Shaun subbed out white for people with more melanin in their skin he’d be deemed a racist and have his post removed. My head is blown that people that are otherwise so intelligent (Ben & Tiff) can’t understand that this is categorically hate speech.
Why is this news?
It should not even be noteworthy. United should treat all its staff equally, with race, religion, sexuality, disability and more being irrelevant.
This kind of thing does more damage than it does good.......when is the all white team working, or the all south east asian, or the hearing loss team ?
I thought working together was the aim of being more diverse, this seems to do the opposite?
This made me smile and cry. I’m so happy to have seen this. As a black girl who learn to fly from Tuskegee airmen this is absolutely fantastic. I never thought it would happen and just so glad to see it. Looking for more of this to happen more diversity efforts and more outreach for young people to learn how to fly and to think that there is actually a job at the end. Thank you all so much. This was wonderful news!
"More damage than good"? GMAFB.
Let me be the 87th or so person to point out to an ignorant poster that "most teams are all white to begin with".
It's called discrimination in the workplace and against customers - You know... That thing that all the sit ins were about back in the 50's & 60's?
That's false.
To any Black child without proper role models, this could be the difference between them becoming a pilot and a criminal.
As a Black person who grew up without many role models, this is empowering, inspiring, and all but demeaning.
What you meant to say here is: why is the focus on something other than White people being celebrated?