MadameNoire
Source: LUDOVIC MARIN / Getty
A Colorado Black woman is seeking answers after being racially profiled by Frontier Airlines. According to the victim LakeyJanay Bailey, the airlines falsely accused her of body trafficking when a passenger questioned why she was traveling with her younger adoptive sister Olivia, who is White.
“There were two police officers, and they came up to me and said, ‘Is it okay if we talk to you?’” recalled Bailey of the harrowing experience. The 20-year-old said people began to stare uncomfortably as police interrogated her about the relationship between her and her sister Olivia.
Police followed Bailey and her 4-year-old sister to baggage claim before eventually calling their mother to verify if the two were in fact related.
“If the roles were changed, and it was a white person walking off the plane with a Black person– like a Black child, I feel like things would be different,” Bailey added.
Frontier issued a statement to Denver 7 News that confirmed they did in fact believe that Oliva could have been a victim of human trafficking.
“A concern was raised during the flight by another passenger who was sitting near the woman and child and suspected human trafficking,” the statement read. “That passenger approached the flight crew with those concerns and subsequently completed a written report during the flight to document her observations.”
“The captain was notified and felt an obligation to report the matter. Air travel is one of the most common means for human trafficking. Race played no part in the actions of the flight crew who were following established protocols,” the company added.
THE AUDACITY!
