Apparently Delta airlines doesn’t believe that there could possibly be African American doctors on an airplane leaving Detroit…
Tamika Cross, M.D. was on a flight from Detroit when a woman two rows ahead of her began to scream. Her husband was very ill, and she was frightened. Dr. Cross rose to help, but a flight attendant blocked her path. A few minutes later, the flight attendant called for a physician. Dr. Cross raised her hand to offer to help. The flight attendant said:
“Oh, no, sweetie, put your hand down. We are looking for actual physicians or nurses or medical personnel. We don’t have time to talk to you.”
Read Dr. Cross’s Facebook post here:
Dr. Cross explained that she was a physician, but the flight attendant kept interrupting her.
Are You REALLY A Physician?
Then, there was a page asking for any physician to press the call button. Dr. Cross pushed hers.
The flight attendant began to ask her:
— Was she really a physician?
A: Yes, an ob/gyn
— Where?
A: Houston
— What were you doing in Detroit?
A.: Attending a wedding.
Let me through so I can help the man in need.
No Questions For The White Man
A white man approached the patient’s row and said that he was a physician.The flight attendant said to Dr. Cross:
“Thank you for your help but he can help us, and he has his credentials.”
Actually, the man hadn’t presented any credentials. He didn’t need them because he “looked like a doctor.” He asked the patient some questions, and the patient seemed to be responding, so Dr. Cross sat back down and said nothing.
But apparently the white male doctor didn’t stick around. Ten minutes later, the flight attendant asked Dr. Cross what they should do for the patient. She continued to help, making sure that basic tests like blood pressure were done.
The flight attendant apologized several times and offered Dr. Cross sky miles. She refused. Upper management needs to hear about this.
This incident has inspired the hashtag #WhatADoctorLooksLike on Twitter that is filled with photos and brief stories of African-American women that are doctors… you know… in case Delta decides to actually do some training on this matter and needs examples for the future.
Say @Delta , since some of your employees need a course on what a physician may look like, here are a few for you… #WhatADoctorLooksLike pic.twitter.com/zIvr6tLCMY
— Taara Sultaana (@TaaraSultaana) October 14, 2016
Featured image cropped from original composite on Twitter.
