OPENING THE AIRWAYS: SCAD pushed airlines to cease discrimination against Black women.

The article focuses on the efforts of the State Commission Against Discrimination (SCAD) in New York to combat racial discrimination in airline hiring practices during the 1950s, particularly concerning Black women seeking positions as flight hostesses. It details the cases of Dorothy Franklin and Patricia Banks, who both faced discrimination when applying for jobs with Trans World Airlines (TWA) and Capital Airlines, respectively. Franklin's complaint led to an investigation revealing TWA's discriminatory practices, while Banks's case resulted in a SCAD ruling that mandated her hiring after a lengthy battle. The article highlights the gradual changes in airline employment policies following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which aimed to eliminate discrimination based on race and gender in the workplace. [Extracted from the article]