Airport Diversity, Social Justice
A personal note from The New Terminal One Executive Chair on advancing racial and economic justice
AIRPORT VOICE, JUNE 2020 3
Dear Colleagues:
This is a painful time. We worry
about protecting ourselves and our
loved ones from COVID-19, a disease
that has claimed the lives of more
than 110,000 Americans and 400,000
worldwide. The coronavirus knows
no boundaries. However, the virus
has laid bare the particular vulnerability
of people subjected to systemic
racial and economic injustice, in poverty,
and with inadequate healthcare.
These factors have contributed to
higher death rates for blacks, people of
color, and the poor.
Now, as we struggle to overcome
the devastating effects of the virus
on our health, our way of life, and our
economy the death of George Floyd has
firmly planted racial injustice at the
forefront across America and around
the globe. The video of Mr. Floyd, a
black man, being killed by the police
while in their custody starkly frames
the injustices blacks experience at the
hands of the police.
The injustice of Mr. Floyd’s death
is but one of many. Just weeks before,
Breonna Taylor, a black woman, was
shot eight times and killed by the police
while in bed. The list goes on, with
black Americans far more likely than
whites to be killed by police.
The twin challenges of coronavirus
and police brutality expose the fault
lines of racial and economic injustice
across this nation for black people.
They have unleashed protests in cities
across the United States, in London,
Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Sydney, Warsaw,
Hong Kong, and beyond. Protestors
of diverse backgrounds, ages, and
races demonstrate, carry placards and
march in solidarity to unequivocally
state that Black Lives Matter.
I feel the pain and carry the outrage
over these injustices. The tensions
between my thoughts and experiences
cause me to struggle with the
question: How could these naked injustices
in plain sight still be possible?
As a trained social scientist, I probe
and evaluate, look for evidence, and
seek to understand cause and effect.
As a black man who grew up during
the 1970s—a violent period of desegregation—
and has confronted racism so
many times, I know all too well that, no
matter how many degrees and accomplishments,
the visceral ignorance of
racism and injustice can easily trespass
the boundaries that support my
life, liberty, and property.
It is important for you to know how
real this is, and how real it is for someone
like myself. Working as the Executive
Chair of The New Terminal
One and Chair of CAG does not protect
me nor my black daughter Claire
from any of these issues. My daughter
has seen, heard, and experienced terrible
things. Yet she faces this world,
like many of the young people we see
taking to the streets, with a conviction
and compass for change.
I have never hidden the pain. I just
sometimes refused to remember it. I
respect law enforcement and recognize
the irony of surrounding those
who pledge to protect us and those who
blatantly disregard my humanity. Too
many times I have been stopped by
police or even chased out of neighborhoods
by civilians who felt it their duty
to stop me and demand to know where
I am going. Last summer I was shaken
when, while driving home after
a wonderful day with friends,
a state trooper followed me for
miles, pulled me over, and questioned,
“Where was I coming
from?” With great anxiety and
a lot of sensitivity, I politely answered,
knowing there was absolutely
no room for a mistake
or misjudgment.
These experiences are real,
and they were one of the motivations
early in my career to commit
to public service. I am proud
to have exercised my First
Amendment rights to speech
and assembly to bring attention
to racial injustice in the
1980s and 1990s, when I worked
alongside a broad and diverse
group of labor leaders, activists,
and government officials who
brought early attention to these
problems. I am also proud of
holding a central role supporting
the New York City Council
and Mayor David N. Dinkins’
creation of the “All-Civilian
Complaint Review Board” while
working for Councilwomen C.
Virginia Fields. It was also during
this time, when I worked at
labor union DC-37 that I helped
to advance the path-breaking
community policing program
“Cops and Kids.” The program
was designed to support youth
services, education, jobs, and
safety.
While I acknowledge that it
is a time of pain, I share these
insights to remind each of us
there is an awakening and a recognition
of the work we must do
together. This is work, I have
never left behind me. It is work
I have brought with me to corporate
America. Racial injustice is
a painful reminder of resistance
and work necessary to bring forward
the promise of equality.
I have always been all in, and I
will continue to do so now!
It is great to bear witness to
a generation intent on changing
the discourse and proposing
new solutions. Recognition of
racial injustice, and the critical
importance of reconciliation
are powerful messages that our
work is never complete.
As a leader, who has spent a career
building coalitions and working
across labor, government, and business,
I write you to reaffirm, The New
Terminal One project is an acknowledgement
of a commitment to help
close gaps that still exist in this country.
Our work is meaningful.
Now more than ever, we must bring
the urgency of now to move our project
forward as a key example of a private
sector business committed to building
infrastructure whose value will create
jobs, support local businesses, and
deliver opportunities to communities
formerly excluded from growth opportunities.
The New Terminal One is providing
opportunities for local and minority
and women-owned business enterprises
(MWBE), creating jobs for labor
and the community, and supporting
impactful, community-based initiatives.
Together with our partners, we
will:
Award $1+ billion in contracts to
MWBE and local firms over
the project’s six-year construction
period and achieve 30%
goals across all categories of
work including professional
services, construction, and operations
over the project’s full
term;
Create 5,000 well-paying,
construction jobs;
Create 10,000 well-paying,
permanent jobs;
Train and hire from communities
in Southeast Queens;
Provide second-chance employment
and aviation-focused
education programs; and
Reserve 50% of food & beverage
concessions for local
New York City-based restaurants
with a specific focus on
Queens-based businesses.
With the support of the local
building trades unions, we
have negotiated a project labor
agreement that is pathbreaking
in its training and local
hiring provisions for residents
of Southeast Queens, 40% hiring
goal for minorities, and
$400 million commitment to
enable smaller MWBE firms to
participate in the project.
We have focused on diversity
and inclusion in our project
management team, with
unprecedented gender and racial
diversity.
We are spearheading the development
of the JFK Airport
Academy to train local residents
for careers in aviation.
We are also very proud to
be supporting and partnering
with community initiatives
like 100 Suits for 100 Men, a
Queens-based charitable organization
that provides free
business attire to men and
women who are in the job
search process and transitioning
away from the criminal
justice system.
We can do more. We must do
more. We will do more.
Best regards,
Gerrard P. Bushell,
Ph.D.,Executive Chair, The
New Terminal One @JFK
International Airport
Message from
Roel Huinink, CEO JFKIAT
Strength in
diversity
Faces of diversity and Inclusion at JFK Terminal 4
In the past weeks, I have seen many tragic
events in the U.S. and NYC. I am deeply saddened
by the violence - especially against those
in the Black community.
As an international air terminal located in
Queens, employees at JKFIAT and in T4 reflect
the most diverse borough in New York City. The
Queens community is not only among the most
impacted by the pandemic, but also a place
where social and racial equality still need to be
better addressed. To support each other now,
we must acknowledge the pain and outrage we
have seen in recent days.
At T4, we have always prioritized the safety
and security of our diverse customers and employees.
We understand the importance of
showing respect and promoting inclusion, diversity
and equality- all integral parts of the T4
culture.
At this time, I’ve made sure that we are
providing resources and support for our colleagues
impacted by social injustices. We will
also continue to support our local Queens community
through our 4GOOD program, identifying
new ways to give back to the borough that
we call home.
Our strength as the T4 community lies in
our cultural differences. Together, T4 is more,
and I will continue to look for ways to unite and
support our diverse workforce and community
as we persevere through these painful events.