A social worker is suing American Airlines because she says they behaved in a racially discriminatory way when they prevented her from boarding her flight and separated her from the child in her custody. Shannon Murphy, an African-American who works out of Riverside County, was attempting to board the second leg of her flight out of Dallas/Fort Worth airport when a fellow passenger told an airline worker that Murphy was “holding a kidnap victim.” Murphy was accompanying a one-year-old toddler for a court-appointed visit with the child’s father in Arkansas.

Upon boarding, Murphy was told to exit the plane and the child was forcibly removed from her. This was despite having presented all the relevant documentation, which included her work ID, the child’s birth certificate, and the court order mandating the trip. According to Murphy’s lawsuit, she “would not have suffered the mental, physical and psychological harm flight personnel inflicted upon her" if, after the accusation of kidnapping, the airplane personnel had simply reviewed her paperwork like she asked them.

Possible Preaching Angle:

As Christians we must lean on the Spirit to help us discern true from false. If we rely only on our instincts we can be fooled by our own biases.