KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 120,000 employees at American Airlines will now undergo implicit bias training. The required training is in response to the NAACP's recent travel advisory regarding American Airlines.
The civil rights organization cited a number of racially insensitive incidents.
Over the weekend, two black athletes were kicked off of an American Airlines flight in Dallas after being wrongfully accused of stealing blankets from first class.
Dr. Rodney Williams is the president of the Kansas City branch of the NAACP.
"The lack of this type of training helps to put people into positions of helplessness and hopelessness. And it helps those who are the employers to make wrong decisions," said Rodney.
He believes everyone, regardless of race would benefit from implicit bias training. Rita Cameron Wedding, a professor at Sacramento State University and an implicit bias expert, agrees.
"We've pretty much made it harder for people to practice the blatant incontrovertible acts of discrimination," said Cameron Wedding. "When we're talking about implicit bias, we're talking about biases that can allow discrimination to persist without anybody seeming to notice it."
Cameron Wedding recently held an implicit bias training in Wyandotte County for those working in the juvenile justice system. She said the well-attended event was an eye-opener for many in attendance.
"Decision makers at all levels — regardless of your race — will default towards your own implicit bias. We need to have a greater sense of awareness and consciousness around race," said Cameron Wedding.
American Airlines apologized to the two passengers and rebooked them in first class on a later flight.
The company told 41 Action News they plan to take specific actions to improve their passenger experience and become the industry leader when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
