American Airlines Removed Activist Tamika Mallory From Flight, Accused Of Racism

New York activist Tamika Mallory has accused American Airlines of removing her from a flight in Miami after a pilot got into an argument with her following her seat assignment dispute.

Mallory, a co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington, had an argument with a gate agent. A pilot later followed her to scold her over her earlier dispute and summoned her from her seat and kicked her off the flight, New York Daily News reported Sunday.

“It definitely was white male aggression. I was singled out, I was disrespected, and he was trying to intimidate me. I was discriminated against,” she said.

In a statement, American Airlines spokesman Joshua Freed said:"Our team does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We take these allegations seriously, and we are in the process of reaching out to our colleagues in Miami, as well as Ms. Mallory, to obtain additional information on what transpired during the boarding process."

Mallory accused the airline of racism as she wrote on her Twitter: "I get kicked off a flight for #FlyingWhileBlack, then am told I probably deserved it, or I must be lying. Because no one trusts black women."

Mallory was in Miami for the Revolt Music Conference and had planned to attend the wedding of Rev. Al Sharpton’s daughter Sunday afternoon, which she missed.

The argument with the gate agent started after Mallory arrived at Miami International Airport and used an airport kiosk to change from a middle to an aisle seat but when her new ticket was issued she was put back in the middle seat.

Mallory, who is active in movements for gun control and civil, asked an agent why and said the employee’s response was “nasty” and “disrespectful.” After the argument, Mallory thought the issue was over until a pilot who had overheard the end of the exchange stopped her.

The pilot reportedly told her the airline worker had “nothing to do” with her seat getting changed and that she was the one who behaved disrespectfully.

“Then he said to me, ‘Can you get on this flight? Are you going to be a problem on this flight?’ I said ‘No, I’m not. Actually, I’m fine. But I will write my complaint down,” Mallory said. “He looked at me and said, ‘You’re going to get yourself a one-way ticket off this plane.’”

Mallory was allowed onto the flight and settled into her middle seat, but an announcement requested that she come to the front of the plane. When she did, the pilot pointed at her and said, “Her, off.”

“I began to express my outrage,” Mallory said. “Then I asked why I was being removed. I asked why was this happening to me. I told him I felt completely disrespected. I began to weep.”

No one offered an explanation, but the cops soon arrived and Mallory left the plane. A person she was traveling with, who had remained in his seat until she was summoned to the front of the plane, was also removed.

“Doesn't matter how much we do and how hard we fight, white men are allowed to treat black women like s---,” Mallory wrote on Twitter after the incident. “Other ppl stand by and watch it happen because it doesn't affect them. If I have to fight alone, @AmericanAir will NEVER GET AWAY W/ THIS.”

After her tweet, Mallory said a representative arrived to rebook her on a flight Sunday evening — but still never explained why she was removed from the flight.