For the first time in the brand’s 93-year history Delta airlines has chosen a Black woman as captain.
Captain Stephanie Johnson has made history by becoming the airlines’ first Black female captain.
Johnson, who has been a commercial airline pilot for more than two decades, is no stranger to breaking glass ceilings. In 1997, she became the first Black female pilot for Northwest Airlines as well.
Although Johnson made her groundbreaking history with Delta last year, she was recently highlighted on the airline’s news hub in a series titled “Delta’s Very Own Heroes.”
Johnson, a Detroit-based pilot Capt. said, “I feel a great sense of responsibility to be a positive role model.”
“There are so few women in this profession and too many women who still don’t think of it as a career option. When I was hired by Northwest Airlines, there were 12 African-American women airline pilots in the country at the major airlines, and I knew all of their names,” she continued.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest in hair, beauty, style and celebrity news.
She learned how to fly at Kent State University before becoming a flight instructor or taking flight with commercial airlines.
She credits ‘exposing young people to the opportunities in the field” as one of the most rewarding parts of her career.
“It is because of people like the Tuskegee Airman that I am where I am. It is my responsibility and pleasure to share what I can with the next generation,” Johnson said.