The First African-American Flight Attendant in the United States.

The First African-American Flight Attendant in the United States.

On February 11, 1958, (Actually December 1957) Ruth Carol Taylor was hired by Mohawk Airlines, becoming the first African-American flight attendant in the United States.[4] Only six months after breaking one historic barrier, Taylor's career ended due to another discriminatory barrier: the airline's marriage ban, a common practice among airlines of the day of dismissing flight attendants who became either married or pregnant.

Racial Desegregation in December 1957, Mohawk Airlines hired the first African-American stewardess in the United States, Ruth Carol Taylor. Within months, TWA announced that it would hire a black stewardess, making it the first large airline to break the color barrier in passenger service. Neither flight attendants nor their union representatives deserve credit for promoting the desegregation of cabin service.

Credit goes to the African-American applicants, overqualified except by their race, who finally broke down airline resistance and their allies in civil rights organizations and state anti-discrimination agencies, especially the New York State Committee Against Discrimination.



The breakthroughs of 1957-1958 were followed only by forced token integration on some other airlines in the early 1960s. Even after several airlines began to hire more African American women for stewardess positions by the mid-1960s, other forms of racial discrimination continued for several years.



Hello All BlkAv8tor2003 Checking In!!!

This is just a small tribute to the first African American Flight Attendant to fly for the airlines back in the late 50's till now!

Ruth Carol Taylor was that woman who broke the racial barrier and made it so many of us who are now flying and past flight attendants could enjoy what she loved and that was the desire to fly!

It's days of glamour and exotic destinations have changed a bit and now the flight attendant is a intricate part of the flight crew and flight attendants have come along way. From the days of being an unmarried, single, nurse qualified individual and being called a stewardess if you were female (or "Stew") to the flight attendants of today who are multi-talented crew members and even move on in the industry to become pilots and eventually fly the plane they once served drinks and meals on!

In the late 1920s, some airlines employed male crew members, known as aerial couriers, cabin boys, flight companions, airplane attendants, or stewards, on their flights. These men, who were usually teenagers or men of small stature, loaded luggage, reassured nervous passengers, and helped people get around the plane. Stout Airlines, which later became part of the United Air Lines group, is credited with hiring America's first male flight attendants in 1926 for its Ford Trimotors on the Detroit to Grand Rapids route.

So I tip my future Captain's hat to Ms. Ruth Carol Taylor for going through what she had to go through to make a way for the rest of us!!! Martin Luther King and now President Barack Obama I'm sure as well as all of the flight attendants that followed in your flying footsteps would be proud and we thank you!

Always Be Proactive and not Reactive When You Fly and Enjoy Your Flight!

BlkAv8tor2003