American Airlines Joins Other Companies in Authorizing Employees to Wear Black Lives Matter Pins on Uniforms
American Airlines joins the growing number of companies that have recognized Black Lives Matter and will allow its employees to wear insignia on their uniforms.
“American Airlines believes in equity and inclusion for all,” said Sarah Jantz, spokesperson for American Airlines. “In light of the appropriate attention to lives of Black Americans, we will allow team members who wish to wear a Black Lives Matter pin to do so if they choose.”
In a statement from June, the airline addresses the “problems that have particularly plagued the United States for more than 400 years” and pledged that the company’s leadership would work towards breaking “down barriers to success for those less privileged.”
American Airlines joins other companies that have also changed policy to show support for the BLM cause and addresses the climate in the U.S. at the moment.
Starbucks pledged to make 250,000 custom-designed BLM t-shirts for employees in the U.S. and Canada.
“Wear your BLM pin or t-shirt,” read a memo to employees at Starbucks. “We are so proud of your passionate support of our common humanity.”
The move at American Airlines comes after Black employees saw workers at other airlines wearing BLM insignia and asked management if they could do the same.
One of the airlines that allows BLM insignia is Delta Airlines. Delta Vice President Shawn Cole is shown on a video on the company’s website raising a BLM flag at Delta’s world headquarters in Atlanta.
“We must grapple with our past to make sense of our present in order to course-correct the future,” said Keyra Lynn Johnson, Delta Airline’s chief diversity and inclusion officer in a statement on Juneteenth. “Whether in our homes, communities, workplaces, or more, we must become anti-racists. Anti-racism, an important step beyond pro-equality, helps abolish silent oppression. It bridges the gap between knowing what’s right and doing what’s right, especially when equity is within reach.”
Spirit Airlines had previously disciplined a flight attendant after a passenger was angered about a button she wore on her uniform that said, “Black Lives Matter, White Supremacy Kills.”
“If you have something offensive on your uniform, you’re going to offend customers,” said passenger Robert Coil in an interview with Fox News. “The customers pay the bills.”
Coil was removed from a flight in Tampa, Fla. after the captain became involved.
American Airline decision isn’t new or without precedent. They have allowed employees to wear pins representing recognized groups based on beliefs or backgrounds including religious faiths, nationalities, military service and LGBTQ pride.
Flight attendants can wear up to three pins on their uniform and the airline is now working with its Black Professional Network to design its symbolic BLM pin.
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