美国历史最久的民权组织“美国全国有色人种协进会”(NAACP)警告乘坐美国航空公司的非洲裔乘客要小心。这个组织说,最近在美国航空公司发生了一系列令人担忧的事件。
美国全国有色人种协进会说,非洲裔美国乘客报告了乘坐美国航空时已形成趋势的一系列令人担忧的事件。
美国航空公司的首席执行官星期三说,他对这一宣布表示失望,美国航空公司愿意与有色人种协进会讨论这个问题。
美国全国有色人种协进会主席约翰逊对美联社说,该组织没有呼吁抵制美国航空公司,但是看到了这些事件的数量后,认为有必要向非洲裔乘客发出警告。
协进会在声明中提到最近发生的四起事件,显示美国航空公司不重视种族歧视问题的企业文化,并可能存在种族偏见。
声明说:“购买了从华盛顿飞往罗利达拉姆飞机票的一名非洲裔乘客因为对两名捣乱的白人乘客对他的不敬之词和歧视性言论做出反应而被要求退票。”被要求退票的是全国有色人种协进会北卡罗来纳州分会的主席巴伯尔。
声明提到的第二起事件是一名购买了头等舱飞机票的非洲裔女性被换到经济舱,而与她同行的白人继续坐在头等舱。另外两起事件都是非洲裔女性在提出正常要求或投诉后被带下飞机,其中一人要求在她下飞机前把她的婴儿车从托运行李舱取出来。
全国有色人种协进会的声明说:“协进会一贯在局势对非洲裔人士构成较大伤害风险时发出旅行警告通知。我们现在担心,所提到的这些事件可能只是美国航空公司恶劣对待非洲裔乘客问题的冰山一角。”
美国航空公司首席执行官帕克在向所有员工发的通知中说,美国航空公司支持全国有色人种协进会反对种族歧视的使命。他说:“我们现在不会,今后也不会容忍任何形式的歧视。我们已经联络了全国有色人种协进会,并期待与他们会面,讨论他们的问题与关切。”
The U.S.’s oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP, is warning black flyers to exercise caution when flying American Airlines after a string of “disturbing incidents.”
The NAACP described “a pattern of disturbing incidents reported by African-American passengers, specific to American Airlines.”
The airline’s CEO said Wednesday that he was disappointed by the announcement and that company wants to discuss the matter with the civil rights group.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson told the Associated Press the group is not calling for a boycott of American Airlines, but after looking at the number of incidents, they felt as though they needed to issue a warning to African-Americans.
In its statement, the group noted four recent incidents that “suggest a corporate culture of racial insensitivity and possible racial bias on the part of American Airlines.”
In one, the statement said, “An African-American man was required to relinquish his purchased seats aboard a flight from Washington, D.C., to Raleigh-Durham, merely because he responded to disrespectful and discriminatory comments directed toward him by two unruly white passengers.” The man in question is the head of the North Carolina NAACP, the Rev. William Barber.
In another, a black woman with first-class tickets was switched to coach while her white companion remained in first class. Two other incidents involved black women removed from flights after making routine complaints or requests, including asking for “her stroller be retrieved from checked baggage before she would disembark.”
“Historically, the NAACP has issued travel advisories when conditions on the ground pose a substantial risk of harm to black Americans, and we are concerned today that the examples cited herein may represent only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ when it comes to American Airlines’ documented mistreatment of African-American customers,” the statement said.
In a memo to employees, CEO Doug Parker said American endorses the NAACP’s mission statement against racial discrimination.
“We do not and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind,”Parker wrote. “We have reached out to the NAACP and are eager to meet with them to listen to their issues and concerns.”