June 2023 HRE Newsletter

Hello again from your local Human Rights and Equity (HRE) Committee!

Every month the committee will share information with the crew about certain HRE issues. We also seek to highlight, celebrate, and recognize certain causes and encourage members to take part in actions and activities related to those causes. 

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE AFA HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUITY (HRE) COMMITTEE?

The AFA Human Rights and Equity Committee is committed to providing the broadest possible representation of our members regardless of age, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, differently abled, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. We honor and celebrate the shared humanity of the members in our care. We shall at all times endeavor to promote the principles of tolerance, fairness, equity, justice, respect and inclusion within our Union. It is only when we all band together and work together that we can rally against the walls of division to create a progressive culture that values social and economic justice for all working people.

JUNE CAUSES AND CELEBRATIONS

In the month of June we celebrate and recognize the following:

• LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
• Juneteenth

What is LGBTQIA+? 

The acronym LGBTQIA stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual. The plus (+)  includes other sexual orientations and other gender identities used by members of the community such as non-binary, two-spirit, and more.

If you are an LGBTQIA+ crew member and need access to resources, please check THIS PAGE

Want to learn more about the history of men working as flight attendants? Check out Plane Queer

Want to learn/understand more about gender identities? Check THIS RESOURCE

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, celebrates the emancipation of African Americans from enslavement in the US. In 2021, Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday. 

What can you do to support/recognize these causes?

• Wear your LGBTQIA+ Pride Month AFA Pin 
• Support LGBTQIA+-owned businesses and charities
• Attend a local Pride event (upcoming events listed below for all our destinations)
• Learn more about the current issues that the LGBTQIA+ community encounters such as Discrimination, Hate Crimes, Violence & Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation 
• Educate yourself on different groups in the LGBTQIA+ community
• Learn about the history and importance of Juneteenth
• Wear your AFA Black Lives Matter Pin on June 19th

Here are some additional dates to note this month:

• JUNE 18 - Father’s Day
• JUNE 19 - Juneteenth
• JUNE 20 - World Refugee Day
• JUNE 28 - Anniversary of Stonewall Uprising

JUNE EVENTS:

Our AFA-CWA Union Siblings at EDV CNL 45 (JFK) are inviting us to march in the New York City Pride Parade with them on June 25th in NYC. If you are in the area and able to make it, please join us.

RSVP FOR NYC PRIDE HERE.

UPCOMING PRIDE EVENTS AT OUR DESTINATIONS:

• Capitol Pride DC - https://www.capitalpride.org
  • Date: June 10, 2023
• Boston Pride - https://www.bostonprideforthepeople.org/
  • Date: June 10, 2023
• LA Pride - https://lapride.org/
  • Date: June 11, 2023
• Berlin Pride - https://csd-berlin.de/
  • Date: July 22, 2023
• Paris Pride - https://www.inter-lgbt.org/
  • Date: June 24, 2023
• San Francisco Pride - https://sfpride.org/
  • Dates: June 24-25, 2023
• New York Pride - https://www.nycpride.org/
  • Date: June 25, 2023
• Oslo Pride - https://www.oslopride.no/
  • Dates: June 23-July 1, 2023
    • Pride Parade Date: July 1, 2023
• London Pride - https://prideinlondon.org/
  • Date: July 1, 2023
• Orlando Pride - https://comeoutwithpride.org/#home 
  • Date: October 21, 2023. 

OTHER BUSINESS

Union Pins

I currently have union pins in my possession to distribute to the JFK crew. Valentin currently will be distributing union pins to the FLL base.  If you need a union pin, please reach out to me.

Current stock: Regular AFA pins, Black History Month pins (February), AANHPI Month pins (May), Pride Month pins (June).

 REMINDER: 

The AFA HRE has two (2) surveys that they would like the crew to take.

The first one is an HRE Survey to learn about our membership and how you would like us to approach our work as a committee.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE HRE SURVEY

The second survey is about Uniform Gender Expression and seeks to identify how the crew feels about uniform choices, policies & guidelines at our airline and how it relates to their gender.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE UNIFORM SURVEY

We ask you to fill out these surveys as soon as possible.

If you would like to attend an AFA HRE meeting or have suggestions for causes or activities to highlight, feel free to reach out to me any time at [email protected].

Happy Flying!

Jhenelle (she/her)
HRE Committee Chair