A mother in the US has filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines, alleging that the airline accused her of trafficking her 10-year-old daughter. The complainant was a white mother, Mary MacCarthy, and according to her allegations, aviation officials arrested her simply because her daughter was black and she was white.
Viewing the suspicion as a case of blatant racism, Mary filed a lawsuit in Colorado on Thursday, August 3. The airline employee allegedly trafficked children at Denver International Airport in October 2021. And matters quickly spiraled out of control when officers finally had to call the police. Mary accused the airline of racism before the duo, her daughter, and she was allowed to leave the airport premises. The lawsuit says the mother and daughter were eventually allowed to leave, but not before experiencing "extreme mental distress".
Speaking to X (formerly Twitter), Mary attached a copy of the complaint and said: "Proud to stand up against this airline and any other company that claims to call the police and making serious accusations about interracial families and families is normal.. of color...Based solely on racist assumptions about color. Since this happened. With me and my daughter, dozens of families have asked me to write to them asking for advice and, frankly, to comfort themselves... After going through the same thing - some at Southwest Airlines, some at other US airlines."
Mary MacCarthy told US media after the event that she had become "hyper-aware" of her daughter. She added that being "on high alert" about her daughter's "most basic behaviors is exhausting".
The airline, on the other hand, has not broken its silence on the ongoing litigation. In November 2021, nearly two months after the incident, the airline announced that it would be conducting an internal review of the matter. He also said the entity is "not recommended" by the development.
