Patricia Noisette Banks Edmiston (born April 27, 1937) is an American who was one of the first

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

flight attendants A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew whose primary responsibility is ensure the safety of passengers in the cabin of an aircraft across all stages of flight. Their secondary duty is to see to the comfort of passengers. Flight attenda ...

. She combated discriminatory practices in the United States by initiating a

legal action In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the part ...

against Capital Airlines (merged into

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

in 1961) via the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. She won the case which lead to the start of more airlines employing Black women. Following her employment as a flight attendant, Banks Edmiston went on to work various roles in the

substance abuse prevention Substance abuse prevention, also known as drug abuse prevention, is a process that attempts to prevent the onset of substance use or limit the development of problems associated with using psychoactive substances. Prevention efforts may focus o ...

industry. She continued her education and received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Empire State College Empire State University (SUNY Empire) is a public university headquartered in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Empire State University is a multi-site institution offering associate degre ...

. She served on the board of the Black Flight Attendants of America, and in 2010 was accepted into the Black Aviation Hall of Fame.

Early life and education

Patricia Noisette Banks was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on April 27, 1937 to parents Sadie and Joseph Banks. She graduated from Aquinas High School in 1955. Banks Edmiston attended

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...

for a year to study psychology. While attending Queens College, she read an article about Grace Downs Air Career School. Banks Emiston knew "African-American people didn't have the opportunity to travel that much," and thought it would be a promising opportunity. She applied and was accepted into Grace Downs Air Career School in 1956.

Career

After completing her training to be a

stewardess A flight attendant is a member of the aircrew whose primary responsibility is ensure the safety of passengers in the cabin of an aircraft across all stages of flight. Their secondary duty is to see to the comfort of passengers. Flight attenda ...

, Banks Edmiston sought employment in various

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...

companies. However, she encountered consistent rejections, which was not uncommon for Black women in similar positions at the time. She was interviewed by

Mohawk Airlines Mohawk Airlines was a local service carrier operating in the Mid-Atlantic states, Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, mainly in New York and Pennsylvania, from the mid-1940s until its acquisition by Allegheny Airlines in 1972. At its hei ...

Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1930 until it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles ...

, and Capital Airlines, but was not selected to move forward in the hiring process.

Legal complaint

During the screening process for Capital Airlines, Banks Edmiston initially received a rating of "B+" from the chief hostess, which the company considered to be "accepted for future employment", but her application was later nullified at the request of the director of passenger service. Banks Edmiston was told by a chief hostess at Capital Airlines that "the company didn't hire black people in flight capacities". At the time, pilots, engineers, and stewardesses were rarely

. In 1957, after seeking advice from

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (November 29, 1908 – April 4, 1972) was an American Baptist pastor and politician who represented the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the United States House of Representatives from 1945 until 1971. He was t ...

, the only Black Congressman from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

at the time, Banks Edmiston decided to take legal action against Capital Airlines. She did so by filing a comprehensive 72-page

complaint In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...

with the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. The airline, in its defense, contended that the complaint was null and void due to its age, surpassing the 90-day

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

. Furthermore, they claimed that they did not conduct hiring operations in New York. They insisted that they do not discriminate and that the reason they refused to hire Banks Edmiston was not because of her race, but rather because of her lack of experience and "because she had a bad tooth". In response to the airline's arguments, Banks Edmiston brought to the committee's attention that Capital Airline's discrimination was ongoing, negating the expiration of the statute of limitations. She also pointed out that the airline regularly recruits and hires from the Grace Downs School in New York, her alma mater, thereby establishing her qualifications. Lastly, Banks Edmiston argued that Capital Airlines indeed engaged in discrimination, noting "they have 570 employed hostesses and not one is a

Negro In the English language, the term ''negro'' (or sometimes ''negress'' for a female) is a term historically used to refer to people of Black people, Black African heritage. The term ''negro'' means the color black in Spanish and Portuguese (from ...

", a pattern that extended to all 1,350 flight-related employees. After the three-year legal battle, the Commission ruled in 1960 that the airline had illegally discriminated against Banks Edmiston because of her race and required them to offer her employment. They also ordered Capital Airlines to "cease and desist from maintaining a policy of barring negroes from employment because of their color, in all flight capacities, including that of flight hostess." The case has been called a "hallmark legal proceeding that revolutionized the industry", and is widely credited with leading to the start of other airlines hiring Black women. Her winning of the case resulted in harassment and violent threats at the time, to the point that Edmiston had to seek law enforcement assistance to safeguard her well-being. In May 1960, four years after first applying to Capital Airlines, Banks Edmiston started her position as a stewardess. She was the first African-American stewardess at the airline. The stress of experiencing racial discrimination while flying in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

took a toll on Edmiston. This, along with the pressure she felt to maintain a flawless record in order to preserve future prospects for other Black flight attendants, caused Edmiston to resign from Capital Airlines in 1961.

After 1961

From 1970 to 1972, Banks Edmiston served as a counselor at New York City's Addicts Rehabilitation Center. Following that, she was a program manager at the New York City Manpower Planning Council. Banks Edmiston assumed a role as a program manager within the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services in 1974. In 1975 she achieved a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in psychology through

. In 1999, she returned to the Addicts Rehabilitation Center where she acted as a consultant until 2015. Edmiston also dedicated her expertise as a member of the board of directors for the Black Flight Attendants of America. Between 1999 and 2001, Banks Edmiston worked for the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

as captain of the disaster team. Her professional endeavors also extended to her involvement with American Airlines Medical Wings International from 2000 to 2002. In her personal life, Banks Edmiston has practiced

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" thro ...

, a style of

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

in which she holds a black belt.

Awards

On August 5, 2010, Banks Edmiston was inducted into the Black Aviation Hall of Fame at the

National Civil Rights Museum The National Civil Rights Museum is a complex of museums and historic buildings in Memphis, Tennessee; its exhibits trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. The museum is built ar ...

for her world class contributions to aviation. She has additionally been honored by the Smithsonian.

References