“I’m sure many of my fellow young, corporate America working women of
color can all understand my frustration when I say I’m sick of being
disrespected. 

Was on Delta flight DL945 and someone 2 rows in front of me was
screaming for help. Her husband was unresponsive. I naturally jumped
into Doctor mode as no one else was getting up. Unbuckle my seatbelt and
throw my tray table up and as I’m about to stand up, flight attendant
says “everyone stay calm, it’s just a night terror, he is alright”. I
continue to watch the scene closely. 

A couple mins later he is unresponsive again and the flight attendant
yells “call overhead for a physician on board”. I raised my hand to grab
her attention. She said to me “oh no sweetie put ur hand down, we are
looking for actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical
personnel, we don’t have time to talk to you” I tried to inform her that
I was a physician but I was continually cut off condescending
remarks. 

Then overhead they paged “any physician on board please press your
button”. I stare at her as I go to press my button. She said “oh wow
you’re an actual physician?” I reply yes. She said “let me see your
credentials. What type of Doctor are you? Where do you work? Why were
you in Detroit?” (Please remember this man is still in need of help and
she is blocking my row from even standing up while
Bombarding me with questions). 

I respond “OBGYN, work in Houston, in Detroit for a wedding, but believe
it or not they DO HAVE doctors in Detroit. Now excuse me so I can help
the man in need”. Another “seasoned” white male approaches the row and
says he is a physician as well. She says to me “thanks for your help but
he can help us, and he has his credentials”. (Mind you he hasn’t shown
anything to her. Just showed up and fit the “description of a doctor”) I
stay seated. Mind blown. Blood boiling. (Man is responding the his
questions and is seemingly better now Thank God) 

Then this heifer has the nerve to ask for my input on what to do next
about 10 mins later. I tell her we need vitals and blood sugar. She
comes back to report to me a BP of 80/50 (super low, to my non medical
peeps) and they can’t find a glucometer. We continue down that pathway
of medical work up, but the point is she needed my help and I continued
to help despite the choice words I had saved up for her. The patient and
his wife weren’t the problem, they needed help and we were mid flight. “Dr. Cross is completing her fourth and final year in the residency
program at the renown McGovern Medical School at the University Of Texas
Health Science Center in Houston Texas.

She came and apologized to me several times and offering me sky miles. I
kindly refused. This is going higher than her. I don’t want sky miles in
exchange for blatant discrimination. Whether this was race, age, gender
discrimination, it’s not right. She will not get away with this….and I
will still get my sky miles….”er the incident aboard a Delta Airline flight on Sunday involving Dr.
Tamika Cross, the chief OBGYN resident at the Harris Health Lyndon B
Johnson Hospital  and a Delta Flight attendant who didn’t believe she
was a Doctor, Delta Airlines have commenced an investigation to find out
what really happened and why the attendant acted the way she did.