Boarding a plane for the first time is always special, no matter how old you are. But for a two-year-old, his first time was quite memorable as he was genuinely surprised to be greeted by a black pilot. Her mother shared the precious moment to highlight why “representation matters”.
Keeundra Hatley Smith was traveling with her children recently when she was surprised to see a person of color as the captain of the American Airlines flight. “In my 30 years of life, I’ve never even seen a black pilot in person… not even on TV! [sic]the woman wrote in an Instagram post.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, that’s probably why I never even had an aspiration to be a pilot,” the woman said, adding that she flies quite often. “But my son, he got on his first airplane flight and a black pilot got us there. [sic]added the mother, saying her child was obsessed with planes.
The video showed the pilot not only waving to the toddler, but also inviting him into the cockpit. In a gentle gesture, the captain even asked the boy if he wanted to touch the controls. And as if that wasn’t already more than enough, he took off his Captain’s cap and placed it on the child’s head so he got a cool picture to remember the moment.
“You all, this moment was everything to me. This is black history,” the mother added, moved that the incident coincidentally happened during Black History Month, which is celebrated in February.
In an update, the woman said she was finally able to follow the pilot on social media. Expressing her gratitude, she wrote, “Thank you again for being the rock to create the ripple.”
The video was also shared by the little boy, Knight, on his Instagram profile, with the caption: “In a few years I’ll be captain.”
