A doctor is slamming Delta flight attendants as racist following her treatment on board a flight with the airline earlier this week.
Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford says that while flying with the airline Tuesday she experienced prejudice from the airline’s flight attendants.
Stanford tells TV station Boston 25, a passenger next to her began experiencing “lots of shaking, hyperventilation.” Stanford says she then showed her medical license to a flight attendant.
“She looked at it, walked down to the back of the plane,” Stanford recalled to the local outlet, “and then the second flight attendant approached me and said, ‘Well, can I see your license again?’ I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ “
Stanford says she was met with resistance from the crew.
“I just talked with the first flight attendant; she said you’re not really a doctor, you’re just a head doctor,’ ” Stanford said she was told. “I said, ‘Excuse me, what do you mean by that?’ “
Stanford added the attendant then replied: “Oh, so you’re not really an MD, are you?”
Stanford said was allowed to continue attending to the ill passenger, according to CNN.
“It’s quite disconcerting that, here I was trying to help a fellow passenger… and my value and worth in that situation (were) questioned,” she told the Boston station.
Stanford also called out the airline on Twitter Tuesday.
“@delta I am very disappointed that your policies on #Diversity have not lead to any change,” she shared. “As a #blackwoman #doctor who showed my #medical license to help a passenger on DL5935 your #flightattendant still did not believe I was a #Physician.”
The next day she added: “@Delta my experience last night when a fellow passenger needed help shows that being a @harvardmed @MassGeneralMDs does not shield from #racism #WhatADoctorLooksLike #ILookLikeADoctor #ILookLikeASurgeon #BiasInMedicine #implicitbias #BlackWomenDoctors do exist.”
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