A Black woman from Alameda, California is alleging she was forced to move to the back of an aircraft in order to accommodate two White women on her flight.
Camille Henderson was flying from Atlanta, Georgia to the San Francisco Bay area when she says she was approached by two Delta flight attendants.
She was asked to change seats and move to the back of the plane after two White women next to her complained about not having enough room.
The two women complained to airline staff for over an hour until Henderson says an attendant asked her to move to row 34.
Henderson complied out of fear of retaliation.
Delta flight attendants asked Black passenger Camille Henderson to move to the BACK of the plane mid-flight to make room for 2 people who said they had 1st class tickets! Delta claims they value & respect all customers, but Henderson's treatment tells a different story!pic.twitter.com/uB47wfFTWL— Ben Crump (@Ben Crump) 1646104140
I purchased three of the big seats for my family on Sprit. On our return flight, a lady asked me if I wouldn\u2019t mind switching my window seat with her aisle seat so she could sit besides her husband. I politely said, no. The nerve.— AltheaBillins (@AltheaBillins) 1646118125
This should never have been an issue. The women who were \u201cbumped\u201d from first class should have been dealt with long before the plane took off. They bullied the flightcrew into making absurd accommodations which made Ms Henderson feel like she was treated unfairly. Unbelievable!— indigobabs (@indigobabs) 1646104569
So the ones who keep saying they don\u2019t see the problem, you are not black so you wouldn\u2019t understand.— justaservant58 (@justaservant58) 1646138609
Henderson said afterwards she filed a complaint with customer service, but the representative was unhelpful and openly said they didn't understand Henderson's humiliation at being forced to the back of the plane.
“I don’t want to make it a race thing, but instead of asking the two White women that were seated next to me [to move], in an attempt to accommodate them, they basically made me have to move,” she said.
“I just don’t know why I had to move because that was the seat that I paid for; that was my assigned seat.”
not @Delta pulling a Rosa Parkshttps://twitter.com/attorneycrump/status/1498495490190684161\u00a0\u2026— kenny jones (@kenny jones) 1646170538
I thought @Delta was better than this. Obviously, I was wrong. #ShameOnDeltaAirLineshttps://twitter.com/attorneycrump/status/1498495490190684161\u00a0\u2026— Yvette Michelle (@Yvette Michelle) 1646166319
Hey @Delta what is up with this? So now as an American Express sky miles member I will have to give up my seat to make others comfortable? I can see if it was a safety risk. But because they didn\u2019t have space? Really Delta?https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1498495490190684161?s=20&t=IdC5QZ-nmBsBVgDaxWl5pg\u00a0\u2026— Cora (@Cora) 1646157515
Don\u2019t allow this behavior to continue.https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1498495490190684161\u00a0\u2026— Sharon (@Sharon) 1646147946
Many compared this moment to Rosa Park's protest in Montgomery, Alabama during the Civil Rights movement.
Delta released a statement on the matter.
“We are looking into this situation to better understand what happened. Delta has no tolerance for discrimination in any form and these allegations run counter to our deeply-held values of respecting and honoring the diversity of our customers.”
Back of bus + back of the plane = back of every thanghttps://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1498495490190684161\u00a0\u2026— Ray Harris (@Ray Harris) 1646137665
Utterly amazing the levels that this country goes to, to accommodate white ppl with total disregard for AAs. Our feelings, as well as basic respect as human beings is irrelevant and unimportant in order to cater to whites in America. @Delta is shameful. I also will NEVERhttps://twitter.com/attorneycrump/status/1498495490190684161\u00a0\u2026— TheEstate (@TheEstate) 1646136982
Well, looks like it\u2019s time to BOYCOTT @Delta b/c this is absurd!https://twitter.com/attorneycrump/status/1498495490190684161\u00a0\u2026— Zakiah (@Zakiah) 1646131539
@Delta you may not "discriminate" but obviously some of your employees do.https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1498495490190684161\u00a0\u2026— bmorebaby52 (@bmorebaby52) 1646111193
Henderson said all she's looking for is a little acknowledgement of her experience.
“I just want them to acknowledge that they made me feel powerless, and they can’t do that to customers moving forward,” Henderson said.
“Me, as a Black woman, I was displaced to make two White women comfortable. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Delta has not released the results of its investigation into the incident as of this writing.
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