Yes, we are still achieving firsts. First All African American Flight Crew heads from ATL to Nashville.

ASA Capt Rachelle Jones and first officer Stephanie Grant

Thanks aw (pronounce “A Dub”) for the lead on this story.

I read the story from Atlanta’s NBC Channel 11 entitled FIRST ALL-BLACK FEMALE FLIGHT CREW FLIES TO NASHVILLE, and felt good after reading it…

…and then I read the comments at the end of the post…whoa!

You’d think, or at least I thought, I’d see a lot of positive remarks of the “way to go!” type flavor.  There were some of those, but there were quite a few “who cares?”, “why is this newsworthy?” type comments that surprised me a bit.  There’s still a population out there that doesn’t get it.

You’d be oversimplifying things by saying “well, why don’t I just have the first flight of all people dressed in red?”  The reason why these moments are still significant is because it signifies a triumph over our history here in America.  The Women’s Rights Movement was in the 70s.  The Civil Rights Movements was in the 60s.  I know my consulting job with a reputable consulting firm had just started letting women wear pant suits about 2 years before I joined in 1996.

For these reasons, a story like this is newsworthy. Had we not needed to overcome gender and race hurdles in American history, then some of those…let’s call them naive replies would make more sense.

At this point in history, even with our first African American president, there’s no getting over the color thing.  Comments like the ones I’ve seen on my own blog and on this article are a testament to that.

Capt Rachelle Jones, Flt Att Robin Rogers, First Off Stephanie Grant, Flt Att Diana Galloway

Ladies, I salute you and applaud your moment in history. Aviation is a predominantly white field and when you start to talk about airline pilots, African American women are scarce.  That’s what makes it so commendable.

In the spirit of Barack Obama, this one echoes to young women and young women of color “Yes, We Can.”

Four African American women made history this month when they took an ASA flight from Atlanta to Nashville. They weren’t passengers. They were the nation’s first all black all female flight crew.

Meet airline captain Rachelle Jones, first officer Stephanie Grant, and flight attendants Diana Galloway and Robin Rogers. When they worked that ASA flight from Atlanta to Nashville they never expected to make history. In fact, it was a matter of chance.

“The first officer became ill and was replaced with Stephanie,” said Galloway.

“When I got to the cockpit and I saw Rachelle — we just met a few weeks prior,” Grant said. “And I was just ecstatic when I saw her in there.”

“We did not realize the historic ramifications of it,” Rogers said. “We were just like, okay this is gonna be fun.”

But Captain Rachelle Jones got it right away. She and Grant in the cockpit, Galloway and Rogers in the cabin — all black, all female.

“I said this could be a first, so let’s be on our P’s and Q’s,” Jones said.

“I think we had a little more pep in our step,” said Galloway. “I think we were just so proud.”…

…Jones is one of only ten black female airline captains in the country. She used to be a customer service agent for Delta. Piloting was never on her radar until a friend suggested it.

“And it paid off — and this was my goal — to be here where I am today,” she said. “And I’m so happy at what I’ve accomplished.”

As little girls, they’d never seen anyone who looked like them piloting a plane. Now for other little girls, they’re proof you really can be whatever you want to be.

“Fate may have a little bit to do with it, but for everyone that will look at us as role models or look to aspire to be what we are today, they need to know that it was hard work and dedication to get here,” Grant said.

“Young girls need to see that yes they can be flight attendants and yes they can be pilots,” said Jones. “The sky is the limit.”

Atlantic Southeast Airlines has three black female pilots. Only one has made Captain so far.

People are invited to congratulate the crew at http://www.flyasa.com/contact/crew-contact.php

(source: 11alive.com)

I like that the crew wasn’t initially planned to be an all African American female flight crew.

Let’s use this post to be positive and congratulate these ladies for their accomplished in 2009 after 60+ years in the history of commercial aviation. Big ups to ASA Flight 5202 and Flight 5106 (ATL-Nashville then Nashville-ATL)

Here’s a blog post I found useful for pictures and more info.

The Ladner Report– AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE FLIGHT CREW