An airport terminal is usually a place for people to rush through, darting from gate to gate for a connecting flight or impatiently waiting to board an airplane.
On Tuesday, Terminal C in Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport was just the opposite.
Travelers stopped, lured by the sounds of Gospel music and applause, and paused to remember the lives of some truly great Americans.
United Airlines hosted its Black History Month celebration Tuesday morning and welcomed some distinguished guests.
Among them was Captain William Norwood, United’s first African-American pilot. He flew for the company for 31 years before he retired in 1996.
Norwood began his commercial pilot training in 1965, not long after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 nudged employers to begin hiring minorities for jobs traditionally held by whites. Despite his long resume flying for the United States Air Force, Norwood was met with resistance when he got the job with United.
"I had 1,700 hours mostly (flying) a B-52, and at the time United was hiring white male pilots (with) 185 hours. So I was well qualified, but people looked at me like I was some kind of affirmative action hire,” Norwood said.
Norwood drowned out the critics and naysayers and continued to work hard and excel in his career.
"All you do is keep focused on what your goal is. And don't let anyone turn you around,” he said.
The event Tuesday paid tribute to other pioneers in African-American history, and local leaders and United employees spoke to their drive to continue their success.
"Right, wrong or indifferent, you have to do more. There is no other option. Average is not acceptable,” said Sharon Grant, United’s vice president for community affairs.