In the times of Corona: Flying for the first time

We have many names for her; coronavirus, COVID-19, the pandemic, ‘Rona, Ms. Rona, but regardless of the name, we all know how challenging 2020 was with the restrictions placed on our lives as a result of this virus that attacks without bias. Even with all of the travel restrictions placed on the travel sector by the U.S. government, I decided that I wanted to fly to Washington DC last year in order to attend the New March on Washington in honor of the anniversary of the original March on Washington in which Dr. Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream Speech.”

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Background

I know what you’re probably thinking. I’ve already been travel-shamed by many for making the choice to travel during the pandemic. Simply said, I felt like I had to be there. The year 2020 was an ever-growing wildfire of emotions. Anger and disdain grew as the nation watched as countless members of communities of color were taken away at the hands of people we are supposed to trust to protect and serve.

We heard about the murder of Breonna Taylor by police officers in Kentucky as she slept in her bed in her own house. Breonna Taylor was a beautiful 26 year old African-American woman who worked as an emergency medical technician (EMT) in Kentucky.

Late in the evening of March 13, 2020, police officers broke into Breonna house as they were executing a “no-knock” search warrant. They believed there were two men dealing drugs out of her house. One of the two men that were on the search warrant was a man that Breonna had dated but had severed ties with long ago.

As officers broke down the door without announcing themselves, Kenneth Walker; Breonna’s new boyfriend, fearing that Breonna’s ex-boyfriend had come back to harm them armed himself and fired on the intruders. The officers returned fire and Breonna was struck five times. Breonna struggled to breathe in the last five minutes of her life after being shot but was given no medical attention.

The emotional wildfire reached a peak as the nation watched as George Floyd was murdered by police officers as he pleaded for his life. The incident all started because a store clerk believed George Floyd had paid for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Several minutes later, police officers attempted to arrest Mr. Floyd. There are reports of a struggle or a resistance to arrest, but these reports may not be entirely true. George was pinned to the ground with his hands in handcuffs. His legs were held by other officers and one officer jammed his knee into George’s neck as George was on the ground. George Floyd continuously pleaded that he could not breathe. Regardless, the officers continued to restrain him and the one officer continued to kneel for 8 minutes and 46 seconds on George Floyd’s neck eventually terminating George’s life.

Breonna Taylor and George Floyd are two reasons I felt like I had to be there. This march was going to become history. I felt the need to be there on behalf of my family members and other members of the community that could not physically attend.

I can only imagine what it was like to have heard Dr. Martin Luther King give his “I Have A Dream” speech. I had hoped to be a part of the same level of energy and to be able to share that inspiration with others.

Nerves

Even though I travel somewhat frequently, I am still sometimes a nervous flier. It’s mainly just the takeoff and if there is turbulence but otherwise I’m okay. The more I fly, the less nervous I feel as well. Needless to say that adding a global pandemic with additional precautions usually doesn’t make people feel any more comfortable. I do feel that with proper planning and research, you can alleviate some of the nerves you feel as your departure date approaches.

I actually wasn’t that nervous about the coronavirus aspect of travel. The problem with COVID-19 is that, even though this pandemic has went on for several months, we don’t know enough about how exactly you catch it and how it will affect us. Each person’s body is different so you might feel like you’re invincible but with this virus, you just don’t know. So, I just follow the general guidelines of washing hands, use hand sanitizer, keep social distance, and wear a face covering.

I also was flying to Washington DC while a hurricane was swirling in the Gulf of Mexico. Needless to say, there were a few bumps along the way due to the winds in the outer bands of the hurricane. All of these things made me nervous but I still felt even with all these potential stressors that I had to be there. That is how important an event like this was to me.

Airport

Some of you that have not flown may be wondering what it was like at the airport during the pandemic. It was eerily quiet and there was hardly anyone in the ticketing area, parking lot, or at the departure gates. All of the business lounges were closed and so were many of the eateries.

Everyone complied with the regulations on wearing a mask and keeping social distancing. Some people wore gloves or face shields or any other garb they thought would help protect them from the virus. Both airports that I traveled through were stringently cleaned. Every surface was constantly being wiped down and hand sanitizer was everywhere. I actually felt quite safe.

Flight

Other than the constant turbulence, I would say the flight was unremarkable. I flew on American Airlines so they were not blocking out the middle seat like some other carriers. The flight attendants were able to space people out to avoid non-compliance with social distancing regulations. Everyone wore a mask and there was no food and beverage service. This was in order to prevent contact between the flight attendants and passengers. The plane did smell and look clean and the air quality did seem different. The flight attendants indicated the air quality was due to upgrades to include higher HEPA air filtration. It made me question why this hadn’t been the standard before.

Precautions

As far as precautions I took to hopefully ensure not contracting the virus, I actually doubled up on my mask. I wore a medical grade mask closer to my mouth and then a more fashionable mask on top of that. I’m going to be honest, I do find it hard to breath with a mask on. I also feel it’s my duty to the rest of the general public to still take the precaution even if it’s a discomfort for me. My hope is that I can help reduce the likelihood of anyone contracting the virus.

I did not wear gloves but just tried not to touch any surface in the airport and on the plane. Opening doors at the airport with my elbow or foot or with my hand was really tricky but I adapted. I also did not touch my face regardless of how itchy it got. I avoided any area that people were congregating in groups larger than three people as well as elevators. Funnily enough, this pandemic was actually perfect for an introvert like myself. Avoiding other people is an art form.

Final Thoughts

I arrived at my destination safely and was able to attend the New March on Washington also known as the Commitment March. It was a wonderful experience to be amongst so many people who were there for the same purpose. There have been a lot of messages and separate agendas out there that I think sometimes distracts people from seeing the underlying message of continuing to commit to seeking equality, justice, representation, and that our lives matter.

As I said in my Instagram post, we all needed to hear a unified message and have our hopes lifted as this year has been really tough on not only the African-American community but the nation as a whole. The fact is that there is still a long way to go even with the progress that has already been made.

Black Lives have to matter on the basic levels of human existence in order for all lives to matter. One group’s lives within society cannot matter more than others. My theory is that the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts unless the parts are equal. All of the parts have to be equal. Once all the parts are equal, we all can add even more value to the whole to make it greater than the sum of what each part brings to the table.

Although my immediate family was not in attendance, I still felt like my family was there. It was an amazing feeling being amongst so many African-American people as well as allies from other communities. During the march, I had a feeling we were united as a community. It was empowering to feel united as a community especially since we were in the capital of the United States of America. What a powerful feeling!