The time I was kicked off a plane at JFK International Airport.
Observations by a Global Nomad.
“My phone’s blowing up... with text messages.” I can’t say that out loud as a person of color at an airport or any public place for that matter.
That’s just an unspoken rule in today’s America.
This week a 69-year-old Asian man was brutally dragged off a commercial jet here in the US, and the newly appointed Supreme Court Judge got sworn in, potentially providing a fifth vote in favor of the travel ban law that will directly affect anyone who looks like a “foreigner”.
These recent developments send a chill down my spine.
I’m reminded of the time I was kicked off a plane at JFK International Airport.
Here is a picture of the Boarding Pass from that day.
I was traveling from New York to Los Angeles on September 11th, 2014. It was 9 am and I was in my assigned seat, my seat belt fastened. I’d just finished an overnight film shoot, so I hadn’t slept. I was looking forward to six solid hours of sleep, but had a rude awakening by a Customer Relations manager of American Airlines.
“Excuse me, sir,” she asked. “Are you feeling okay?” I was. She said, “Well, a few of our passengers and flight crew noticed that you have a mild cough and look under the weather. The captain is asking you to de-board the plane. Now. So, can you please get your bags?”
“Are the other passengers on the flight who are coughing and ‘under the weather,’ also being asked to de-board the plane?” I asked.
“If you don’t gather your bags, I will have to call security,” she answered, ever so politely.
I looked at the other passengers in despair. They turned away, didn’t acknowledge me.
I couldn’t believe my ears. I had been a loyal Oneworld member for years, but I quickly saw that this wasn’t about loyalty. It was about the stubble on my face and the color of my skin.
I tried to explain that I was perfectly healthy and that I had to be in LA in six hours for professional reasons, but it fell to deaf ears.
I swallowed my pride, and followed the manager off the plane.
Can you imagine what being kicked off a plane feels like? For the way you look? I couldn't. I never imagined that it would happen to me here in America, where I’ve always felt like I belonged. From growing up with a healthy dose of Star Wars and Legos to singing at weddings on Cape Cod with the professional a cappella group Hyannis Sound, to being flown to film projects at the Sundance Labs in Utah, I had apple pie in my veins. And here I was, discarded from a plane like a “foreigner”. It felt surreal.
As soon as I got off, the manager said I could get on a 10 am flight. Now I was truly perplexed: That was only 30 minutes away. Soon, the captain and top steward of the 10 am flight came out. The captain looked me up and down. “Rough night in New York City last night?” I didn’t blink. “Heard you were kicked off the 9 am. You look perfectly fine. You’re okay, right?” the captain asked smilingly.
I took a deep breath. “No, I’m not okay. It’s sad to see that it’s September 11th and America has moved on 13 years later but American Airlines hasn’t.”
“Well, yes it is September 11th and I'm sure you can understand that New Yorkers are sensitive,” he said in his defense.
“I’ve lived in New York for over a decade. And yes, it is a sensitive matter,” I responded.
I eventually got on that flight to LA but the whole experience was a harrowing and a humiliating one.
That was 2014.
I haven’t shared this story publicly. Ever.
Until now.
What if I hadn’t complied, when the airline asked me to leave the plane? Would they have dragged me through the aisles? Why was I chosen in the first place?
These questions still haunt me.
The recent United Airlines video was yet another reminder of the America we’re living in today.
What does the rest of the world think of the US, when they see a viral video, which shows a person of color being savagely dragged through the aisles on a domestic American carrier?
Was this incident triggered by policy or race?
Are we an America that is still united?
I share my story today out of necessity.
To combat the undercurrent of hate that is being championed by the current administration, we must create our own currency.
A currency of solidarity.
We must acknowledge each other and move forward not backwards in humanity.
Be Current.
See.
And continue to share untold stories.
Our civil rights depend on it.