AETC takes deliberate action focused on diversity, inclusion for recruits, Airmen > United States Air Force Academy > Air Force Academy News af.mil - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from af.mil Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Air Force diversity efforts aim to mentor, open doors to underrepresented groups March 8 Cadets attending AFJROTC Summer Flight Academy at Delaware State University tour a Radar Approach Control facility. (Roland Balik/Air Force) Senior Air Force officials have insisted that the creation of a force of airmen with diverse backgrounds and experiences is crucial to adapting to the threats of the future. That’s why Air Education and Training Command, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, has moved forward with plans to increase diversity and inclusion. Over the past two years, AETC has implemented a number of programs and policy changes intended to draw women and underrepresented minorities into Air Force jobs, including rated (flight) career fields.
Robert Silk
In the wake of the protests across our nation last summer over systemic racism, airlines were among the many corporations pledging improvement in everything from hiring practices to diversity within management to company culture.
Delta, for example, noted last June that Black employees made up 21% of its workforce but just 7% of its top 100 officers. The airline has committed to year-by-year improvements going forward.
American, too, called the Black representation within its senior leadership, insufficient. The company pledged a slew of enhancements to recruitment and mentorship.
Alaska, Southwest, United and JetBlue were among the other airlines that made new pledges related to racial inclusion.
Finding Sisterhood Among Black Female Pilots: Women Who Travel Podcast Lale Arikoglu, Meredith Carey
podcast on
According to the FAA, women make up just seven percent of all certified pilots, and of those female pilots, less than one percent are Black women. Captains Kellie Young and Stephanie Hartsfield are among that percentage, having spent careers flying on international legacy carriers, cargo flights, and corporate planes. This week, we re catching up with Kellie and Stephanie to learn about their journeys, the challenges along the way, and how they re paying it forward for Black female pilots of the future. Both are a part of Sisters of the Skies, a non-profit dedicated to mentorship, scholarships, and outreach to young Black women to follow in their footsteps into the pilot s seat.
Flying high: The living legacy of aviation leader Capt. Patrice Clarke-Washington
Feb 13, 2021
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Patrice Clarke-Washington is no stranger to setting records. As the first Black woman to graduate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the first Black woman to serve as captain for a major U.S. airline, Washington doesn’t know what it means to fly under the radar.