How Delta’s first Black flight attendants navigated racism at 30,000 feet

Imagine stepping onto a plane knowing many of the passengers wouldn’t even look at you. That was the reality for Delta’s first Black flight attendants. Hired just two years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Patricia Murphy and Phenola Culbreath endured hostility from passengers and strict rules that pushed out many of their peers by age 32. They worked at a time when few airlines accepted Black applicants at all. Yet, they built decadeslong careers anyway. The AJC’s Najja Parker visits Atlanta’s Delta Flight Museum with these trailblazers to hear how they broke barriers and held their ground with grace while making history at 30,000 feet. Credits: AJC | Delta Air Lines | Ebony Magazine | Getty Images | Jet Magazine | The Atlanta Journal