Systemic Inequality in the Airport Industry: Exploring the Racial Divide (2023) / Chapter Skim
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Panel Sessions
Panel Sessions
Pages 11-42
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From page 11... ...
Headshots, Row 1: Shannon McLoughlin Morrison; Row 2: Olga Custodio, Tania Herrera, Jorge Roberts; Row 3: Chris Musei-Sequeira; Amber Woodburn McNair.
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Olga Custodio shared her challenges and experiences early in her career. She shared that no one looked like her, so it was difficult to find colleagues to look up to and receive mentoring from.
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She is a Latina with a background in engineering who works in the aviation industry. She noted that "this conversation is needed.
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He noted that people who are talking about these issues are not necessarily in the aviation industry and that he obtains many ideas from people outside the aviation industry. He said that, although the topic is not a new one, he appreciated that the group was having a conversation specific to aviation.
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McLoughlin Morrison addressed the following question to Amber Woodburn McNair: We are going to engage in challenging conversations over the next few days; what are some strategies we can use to engage in these conversations? McNair stated that, in her professional experience, this event is one of the first opportunities she has had to move beyond an introductory 1-hour seminar on diversity.
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He suggested allowing people who are not facing systemic racial or gender discrimination, such as White colleagues and men, to participate in the conversation, so that the benefits could be explained to them as well. Both internal and external incentives are needed for meaningful conversations.
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Yvette Rose, Cargo Airline Association Ricky Smith, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Overview This session explored the panelists views on following topics: personal experiences with bias and inequality in the workplace; barriers to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive aviation industry; and mistakes and solutions for organizations that are embracing DEIJ policies and practices.
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Wimbush introduced the panelists and asked them to elaborate on personal experience in the workplace that shaped their career and outlook. Api Appulingam joined the aviation industry in 2005 as an engineer and identifies as a millennial.
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Wimbush next asked the panelists to describe what barriers still exist today to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive aviation industry. Smith responded that he thinks a barrier is the number of White people who do not acknowledge or recognize their own head starts.
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Wimbush asked the panelists for some examples of mistakes that organizations are making as they embrace DEIJ policies and practices. Appulingam said that she thinks the "check-the-box" mentality is an example of an organization-level mistake because it lacks nuance and meaningful follow-up.
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4 FAA. Advisory and Rulemaking Committees: Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force (YIATF)
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It solidified for her that she wanted to make the aviation industry "a place where everyone feels welcome and has their needs met." Yen Ling Shek shared that she thinks that, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, we are entering a new era of workforce needs, and that workers have new ideas about * Headshots, left to right: Monica Williams, Anita Cobb, Yen Ling Shek.
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In response, Shek shared more on the workforce perspective. She stated that, after the murder of George Floyd, it became clear that people are not able to completely sever their personal life experiences from their work life experiences.
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Cobb identified the risk of alienating the incoming generation from the workforce if aviation industry organizations do not pursue DEIJ work. She shared that studies have shown that younger generations want to work for purpose-driven organizations.
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Speakers* Cathryn Stephens, Eugene Airport, Moderator Heather Barry, SSP America Breann Preston, Port of Portland Ani Turner, Altarum Overview This session explored the panelists' views on the following topics: broader economic arguments for racial equity, DEIJ practices in securing a diverse job applicant pool, and airport contracting and procurement.
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per capita grew by a factor of 2.5, with up to onequarter of that growth attributed to expanded opportunities for women and Black persons. Breann Preston added that systemic inequality is persistent; the wealth gap between White and Black families is 13 to 1.
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Turner recommended expanding the dialogue of economic distribution to recognizing the long-term impacts to the workforce pool and potential customers. Barry recommended focusing on the role of federal and public financing in airport infrastructure, which involves various federal statutes that prioritize DEIJ as part of conducting business.
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Speakers* Erin Locklear, Raleigh–Durham Airport Authority, Moderator Tammera Holmes, Aerostar Avion Institute Rocio Saenz, SEIU Overview This session explored the panelists' views on the following topics: the power of maps to create an "othering" mentality, labor casting, inclusive representation in decisionmaking, new mobility paradigms, and airport accessibility.
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She stated, "These people are demanding -- protect us, respect us, and pay us." Tammera Holmes shared her trajectory from airport planner to an advocate for and creator of aviation education programs. Holmes said that it was a "lonely journey being the only," so she founded a company designing aviation education programs that "she wishes she had access to." Locklear transitioned to the next topic with a reflection on her visit to the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
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An audience member shared a land acknowledgment statement 7 and asked the panelists how Justice40 connects to the fact that many people do not have access to travel in the airports. Saenz shared how airport workers are frequently in the group that does not have access to air travel.
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Locklear acknowledged there is a connection to Justice40 and recommended critically evaluating why certain decisions are made about the distribution of resources to certain airports: "Where do we allow our resources to go? Are we listening to folks with the most political power when we decide how resources are allocated?
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Speakers* Denise Bailey, Milligan & Company, Moderator Bookda Gheisar, Port of Seattle Kelli Kelly, Kiewit Tanisha Lewis, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Steve Pelham, Jacobs Engineering Group Overview This session explored the panelists' views on the following topics: changes to DEIJ offices before and after the summer 2020 protests for racial justice, conveying the *
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Tanisha Lewis shared that, in 2021, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority established the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact that she leads. The organization reorganized to allocate resources to a new department and invest in this work.
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Next, Gheisar shared the Port of Seattle's connection to the Duwamesh Tribe, who lost their sovereign status under the George 9 More details on FAA's guidance pertaining to Buy America legislation is available at https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/buy_american/. 10 Kelly shared a new idea for a metaphor to try to convey the idea of justice: diversity represents being invited to dinner, inclusion represents getting a say in the restaurant, equity represents receiving the place setting and the seat at the table, but justice represents your larger affiliation with the restaurant (Do I have a ride to access it?
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The Port owns 24 parks along the river and worked with the Duwamesh Tribe to name parks after tribal leaders. 11 Now they are working on creating a decision-making framework for how the parks can be used to build a tool kit for sharing the land.
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Denise Bailey, Milligan & Company, Moderator Thiane Carter, Raleigh–Durham Airport Authority Toyin Ogunfolaju, Jacobs Engineering Group Jonathan Todd, Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport Overview This session explored the panelists' views on the following topics: DEIJ action items on their immediate radar, sharing data and establishing metrics, the most difficult barriers to break down in their organization, and strategies to help prevent individual burnout. Detailed Summary of Panel Discussion Denise Bailey asked the panelists to share how they consider the variety of stakeholders in the aviation industry (e.g., the flying public, airport-adjacent communities, and the workforce)
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Toyin Ogunfolaju shared that she thinks there is a continuum across stakeholders and, to protect herself, she implemented a charter document to define her job, her plan, and her roles and responsibilities. Bailey asked the panelists to describe what DEIJ action items are on their immediate radar.
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An audience member asked the panelists if they could suggest a tool kit to help prevent individual burnout. Todd replied that the emotional depth and emotional vulnerability he experienced while learning about DEIJ topics has been very challenging, stating, "This work is not for the faint of heart." Ogunfolaju shared her personal approach is to recognize that she "can't save everybody" and to try to identify and prioritize those with genuine intention.
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Valerie Churchwell, Office of the Mayor, City of Phoenix, Moderator Portia Allen Kyle, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary Mary Ellen Eagan, HMMH Shannetta Griffin, Federal Aviation Administration Overview This session explored the panelists' views on the following topics: how airports contribute to or exacerbate equity issues as compared with other forms of mobility, the Justice40 Initiative, and establishing a more permanent legacy from the current federal momentum.
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She asserted that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process in airport planning occurs too late for meaningful stakeholder engagement.
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FAA-funded sustainability plans also require equity considerations and community engagement. Kyle listed other federal initiatives that could yield a more permanent legacy: • Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government; • White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Historically Black Colleges and Universities; • National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality; • Justice40 Initiative; 41
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From page 42... ...
DOT, since the core work occurs in the deepest parts of the organization. An audience member asked whether the federal government has considered a national aviation institute or some sort of permanent feature that could help with training over time.
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