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Patricia Banks Edmiston

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Patricia Noisette Banks-Edmiston (born April 27, 1937)[1][2] is an American woman from Queens, New York, who was one of the first black individuals in the flight attendant profession.[3] She actively combated discriminatory practices in the United States by initiating a legal action against Capital Airlines (merged into United Airlines in 1961) via the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. The case is believed to have paved the way for other airlines to begin employing black women.

1954 advertisement for Grace Downs Air Career School in The Reporter Dispatch

Initial education and career

Edmiston attended Queens College for a year to study psychology and was accepted into Grace Downs Air Career School in 1956. After completing her training to be a stewardess, Edmiston sought employment in various airline companies but encountered consistent rejections.[2][4] She was interviewed by Mohawk Airlines, Trans World Airlines, and Capital Airlines but was not selected to move forward in the hiring process.[5]

During the screening process for Capital Airlines, Edmiston initially received a rating of "B+" from the chief hostess, which the company considered to be "accepted for future employment", but her application was later nullified at the request of the director of passenger service.[4] Banks was told by a chief hostess at Capital Airlines that "the company didn't hire black people in flight capacities".[2] At the time, pilots, engineers, and stewardesses were rarely African-American.[6]

In 1957, Edmiston consulted with Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and took legal recourse by filing a complaint against Capital Airlines with the New York State Commission Against Discrimination.[7] After a three-year legal battle, the Commission ruled in 1960 that the airline had illegally discriminated against Edmiston because of her race and required them to offer her employment.[4] They also ordered Capital Airlines to "cease and desist from maintaining a policy of barring negroes from employment because of their color, in all flight capacities, including that of flight hostess."[6] The case is widely credited with leading to the start of other airlines hiring black women.[8]

In May 1960, four years after first applying to Capital Airlines, she started her position as a stewardess.[4] She was the first African-American stewardess at the airline.[6] She resigned in 1961 to pursue further education.[1]

After 1961

Banks-Edmiston worked as a counselor at the Addicts Rehabilitation Center in New York City from 1970 to 1972, followed by being hired as a program manager on the New York City Manpower Planning Council. In 1974, Edmiston became a program manager at the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, and she earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Empire State College the following year. She went back to the Addicts Rehabilitation Center in 1999, serving as a consultant until 2015. Between 2000 and 2002, she also worked with American Airlines Medical Wings International. She also served on the board of directors for the for the Black Flight Attendants of America, and captain of the disaster team for the American Red Cross from 1999 to 2001. Banks-Edmiston holds a black belt in Shotokan.[1]

Awards

Edmiston was inducted into the Black Aviation Hall of Fame at the National Civil Rights Museum and has been honored by the Smithsonian.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Patricia Banks Edmiston's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  2. ^ a b c d Westbrook, Elijah (2023-02-16). "Patricia Noisette Banks Edmiston reflects on being one of the first Black commercial airline flight attendants". CBS News. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  3. ^ "Order Airline To Hire Negro Stewardess". Daily News. 1960-03-10. p. 289. Retrieved 2023-06-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d Barry, Kathleen (2007-02-28). "4". Femininity in Flight: A History of Flight Attendants. Duke University Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-8223-8950-7.
  5. ^ "The story of pioneering Black flight attendant Patricia Banks-Edmiston". ABC7 New York. 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  6. ^ a b c "SCAD Orders Air Jobs For Negroes". The Ithaca Journal. 1960-03-10. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-07-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Patricia Banks collection 1957-1999". The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  8. ^ Thomas Whitfield, Chandra (2016-03-24). "'Stars in the Sky': A History of Black Flight Attendants". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
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