Ruth Carol Taylor

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Ruth Carol Taylor (born December 27, 1931) is the first African-American flight attendant in the United States. [1] Her first flight was aboard a Mohawk Airlines flight from Ithaca to New York City in 1958. [2]

Contents

Early life

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, into a family of Black, White, and Cherokee heritage, her mother was Ruth Irene Powell Taylor, a nurse, and her father was William Edison Taylor, a barber. When Ruth was young, her family moved to a farm in upstate New York. [3]

Taylor attended Elmira College and graduated as a registered nurse from the Bellevue School of Nursing in New York City. [4] [5] [6]

Career

Hired in December 1957, [6] on February 11, 1958, Taylor was the flight attendant on a Mohawk Airlines flight from Ithaca to New York, the first time such a position had been held by an African American. [7] She was let go within six months as a result of Mohawk's then-common marriage ban. [8]

Taylor was later significantly involved in covering the 1963 March on Washington and as an activist for consumer affairs and women's rights. [5] She wrote The Little Black Book: Black Male Survival in America (1985), whose purpose is to "save lives - the lives of Black African Males who are on the Endangered list" [9] in view of the endemic racism in the United States towards African-Americans.

In 2008, 50 years after her historic flight, her accomplishments were formally recognized by the New York State Assembly. [5]

See also

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References

  1. Conrard, Don (November 16, 2005). "Promoting Diversity". Alaska's World. Alaska Airlines. Archived from the original on March 24, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  2. Owens, Heath (2020-08-21). "30 Historical Photos of Flight Attendants That Show How Much the Job Has Changed". Woman's Day. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  3. VanHouten, Matt (2011-01-06). "Ruth Carol Taylor (1931- ) •" . Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  4. "AVIATION: Another First", Time magazine, January 6, 1958.
  5. 1 2 3 Eric Adams, "In the Constituent Spotlight: Ms. Carol Taylor!" The New York State Senate, July 28, 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Flight Attendants in Labor History", Femininity in Flight.
  7. Booneville Herald
  8. "The First African-American Flight Attendant in the United States", Airline Travel, February 12, 2010.
  9. "Book Review of the Little Black Book: Black Male Survival in America: Staying Alive & Well in an Institutionally Racist Society by Ruth C. Taylor".