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Brut America
  • 3/25/2025
"Are you an M.D.?" Even after showing her medical license, this black doctor had her credentials repeatedly questioned while helping a sick passenger on a flight.
Transcript
00:00I do experience, I would say, almost daily questions as to whether or not I'm a physician.
00:17I just have my medical license with me at all times to make sure that any fears that
00:22people might have with regards to what my role is are quickly allayed.
00:30I immediately sought to figure out what was going on and also how I could help.
00:48Approximately 15 to 20 seconds into the episode, flight attendant number one walks up to me
00:54and asks me if I'm a physician. I say yes I am and I immediately
00:59hand her my Massachusetts medical license.
01:09I realize that she is having a panic attack and at this time flight attendant number two
01:14walks up to me and asks me to see my medical license once more.
01:18Are you a head doctor? I said I'm not certain what a head doctor is.
01:28And then she follows that with her third question which is, are you an MD?
01:32I said absolutely. I've shown you my medical license which indicates that I'm an MD
01:37certified to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
01:40Immediately flight attendant number two then asked me, is this your license?
01:45By which I was very puzzled and asked her why would I carry someone else's medical license?
01:58So many of my minority and female colleagues have reached out after this story to let me
02:04know of similar experiences that they've had. They've ranged in age, ranged in when their
02:12experiences occurred, whether they were occurring in flight or you know in other parts of their
02:17life. And I've also had my white male colleagues come to me and say that they've never experienced
02:22anything of this kind.
02:42So here we are in 2018 in a situation where I actually presented licensure on two different
02:49occasions and even with this information being available I am still facing this situation as
02:55we see it today.
03:12I think people need to hear real life stories of persons like myself that have experienced
03:17such biases in situations like this. I think Delta Air Lines is just one of many because
03:23this has been pervasive throughout my career and a lot of work needs to be done. It's not
03:28going to happen overnight. I think our lifetime will be committed to undoing the racial and
03:33gender bias that persists in our society.