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June 2025 HRE Newsletter

01 Jun, 2025

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.

The work of this Committee includes:

The ongoing study of matters related to the strengthening of our Union through the promotion of and support for economic, racial, and social justice equity for all workers;
Recommendations for participation by our MEC and LECs with minority, women’s, and LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) community organizations and coalitions which aim to eliminate discrimination and racism;
Recommendations for creating safe spaces within our Union for people to share their personal experiences in relation to age, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, gender expression and political orientation so that we better understand each other and build our Union through our common struggles and goals, rather than allowing union busters to divide us by differences;
Recommendations for educational materials and resources relevant to civil and human rights issues that affect our Members and communities;
Recommendations on how to facilitate training around the issues of Human Rights and Equity; and
Developing a productive working relationship with the company to ensure they are committed to providing a safe and inclusive workplace for all Flight Attendants.

We are committed to supporting the local HRE Committees that have been created as well as assisting in the creation of a local HRE Committee at each Council. Our aim is to get everyone who wants to be a part of an HRE Committee involved, and by utilizing their individual skills, backgrounds, and passions, we can create a movement within our Union that is intersectional, reflecting the diversity of our workforce. We encourage Member participation through volunteering to start or support a local HRE Committee, providing us with your feedback and personal stories, attending future events and training, and spreading the word of this new Committee to fellow Union Members.

June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month!

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Celebrates:

Self-identity and expression
Equal rights and acceptance
Commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQIA+ rights movement
Promotes unity, visibility, and support for the LGBTQIA+ community

It's a time to recognize, respect, and celebrate diversity and individuality and in the current political climate, the LGBTQIA+ Community (Specifically our Trans Brethren) are actively under attack. Currently there are bills attacking the community in 49 out of 50 states in the United States, so stay woke and plugged in!

Take time to educate yourself on the different identities of the LGBTQIA+ community below.

What Does LGBTQIA+ Stand For?

LGBTQIA+ is an acronym used to signify gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender ,

queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual people collectively.

“L” stands for lesbian and describes a woman who is physically, emotionally, or romantically attracted to other women.
“G” stands for gay and describes a person who is physically, emotionally, or romantically attracted to people within the same gender.
“B” stands for bisexual and describes a person who is physically, emotionally, or romantically attracted to people within more than one sex, gender , or gender identity.
“T” stands for transgender and describes a person whose gender identity or expression is different from their sex assigned at birth.
“Q” stands for queer or questioning and describes either a person whose sexual orientation is not exclusively heterosexual or straight, or a person who is exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“I” stands for intersex and describes a person with differences in their sex traits or reproductive anatomy that does not fit typical definitions of female or male.
“A” stands for asexual and describes a person who lacks sexual attraction or desire for other people.
“+” stands for plus and represents members of the community who identify with a sexual orientation or gender identity that isn’t included within the LGBTQIA+ acronym.

Learn more about Pride Month here

Fine Pride events near you using this link

Celebrating Caribbean-American Heritage Month!

In June we celebrate and honor the achievements and contributions of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants living in the United States, particularly in government, sports, entertainment, and the arts.

Islands of the Caribbean include, but are not limited to:

Jamaica
The Bahamas
Barbados
St. Lucia
Aruba
Grand Cayman
Dominican Republic
Saint Maarten
US Virgin Islands
Antigua & Barbuda
Bermuda
Turks & Caicos
Martinique
Puerto Rico
Grenada
Haiti
Cuba
Dominica
British Virgin Islands
St. Vincent & The Grenadines
The ABC Islands

And many more!

Learn more about Caribbean American Heritage Month here

June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month!

june is alzheimers and brain awareness month

Today, there are more than 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s. Two-Thirds of Americans have at least one major potential risk factor for dementia. Experts believe there isn’t a single cause of Alzheimer’s, but they agree that early detection and diagnosis is more important than ever!

According to the CDC, the top-five working signs for Alzheimer’s are:

Memory loss that disrupts daily life: forgetting events, repeating yourself or relying on more aids to help you remember (sticky notes or reminders).
Challenges in planning or solving problems: having trouble paying bills or cooking recipes you have used for years.
Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, work, or at leisure: having problems with cooking, driving places, using a cell phone or shopping.
Confusion with time or place: having trouble understanding an event that is happening later or losing track of dates.
Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations: having more difficulty with balance or judging distance, tripping over things at home, or spilling or dropping things more often.

Learn more information about Alzheimers and Brain Awareness Month using this link

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated annually on June 19th to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States.

President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862 announced that the Emancipation Proclamation would go into effect January 1st, 1863, promising freedom to enslaved people in all of the rebellious parts of Southern States. However, about 900 days after that, on June 19th 1865 Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War.

Thus the creation of “America’s second Independence Day” what is considered the “longest-running African-American holiday”.

Learn the history of Juneteenthhere