On a Delta Airlines flight from Detroit to Houston, things seem to have been going fine until a passenger fell ill. Without missing a beat, Dr. Cross rose to the occasion, stating that she is a doctor, to help the ailing person. Then things went awry when the flight attendant stopped Dr. Cross and told her, “Oh, no, sweetie, we are looking for an actual physician.” Then, Dr. Cross was questioned for credentials, called overhead on the intercom for a real doctor and where they practiced when another doctor stepped up, and they let them through to help the patient.
Why did they bar this professional physician from performing their duties as a doctor? The answer lies in the fact that Dr. Cross is a black woman, and the other doctor who was let through was a white man. He wasn’t even asked to show his credentials, or asked invasive questions, like Dr. Cross was. This is a clear modern-day example of prejudice against people of color, and especially women of color in the science, technology, and math (STEM) field.
Other examples of this can be found rampant to this day. On one of the very same articles, a young East Asian-American told about her experience working in a pharmacy. She is one of the head physicians, and (often older) customers would ask for white men because they were “the real” physicians. Even within my own family, I have heard stories of prejudice in the STEM field. One of my mother’s cousins, whom will remain unnamed for privacy reasons, told how an older woman refused to let her perform surgery because “Korean women aren’t trustworthy doctors.” (We’re Japanese-American, which adds a whole other level of insult to injury.)
STEM has a long history of bias against women and people of color. To this day, women only make up 24% of the STEM workforce. Even less are women of color. Another study back in 2015 showed that 93% of women faced gender bias, but 100% of women of color faced prejudice, both about their gender and ethnicity. Both black and Latina women spoke how they weren’t considered "real doctors," like Dr. Cross, and often mistaken for janitors. Asian women in STEM do have the advantage of the stereotype that Asian people are good at STEM jobs in general, but often feel intense pressure to be passive, and receive severe push back if they don’t.
Latina and black women also talk of their fear of being too assertive, and being stereotyped as the “angry women of color.” Latina women in STEM also have a harder time getting administrative personnel to do work, and are expected to do their own and other fellow employees' administrative work, like filling out paperwork and planning meetings.
The STEM field, especially in America, is full of prejudices. The prejudices against women of color need to stop, as it is both insulting, and in the case of Dr. Cross, potentially dangerous for patients who needed actual help.
