A TikTok video posted by a Black commercial airline pilot who sought to strike a positive and praiseworthy note about landing his plane safely has gone viral and stirred debate online over his appearance.
The video was posted on Feb. 2 by user @yung_mula_ with the caption, “Gotta Stay Prayed Up.”
“Another successful flight, glory be to God,” @yung_mula_ says while walking through an airport in his pilot’s uniform. “Dealing with this career, you gotta be cautious, but most of all, you gotta stay prayed up.”
The video was met with thousands of reactions and comments, most of which were encouraging and supportive.
“Why are there no other pilots that look like you!! I love it!!! Be blessed,” one commenter wrote.
“Protect this young man at all costs!!! This is what some don’t want to see. Congrats to you sir!!!” another person wrote.
However, as the video began to make waves across other social media outlets, it started to attract comments about the pilot’s appearance. Some people deemed his locs and the grill he was wearing unprofessional and inappropriate, which sparked a discussion online about racial bias and discrimination.
In a now-deleted tweet, X user @Hamburgler1000 posted, “I’m sorry but it’s all about professionalism and appearance in a job/career here you’re literally holding the lives of others in your hands. He may be great, but I can assure his grill, Ebonics, and ‘swagger’ doesn’t instill confidence in his passengers. An no, it’s not because he’s black.”
Another person who affirmed those sentiments said, “Yea I prefer my pilots not let ‘god’ be the reason we land safely and spend less time ‘praying up’ and more time training, but what do i know.”
Others challenged those opinions, noting that his appearance should not negate his piloting qualifications and his proficiency to fly and land an aircraft safely.
“Who said dreds and grills impact your ability to fly a plane? Who defines professionalism?” one X user asked.
“Please help me understand how someone having ‘braids’ makes them an unsafe pilot??? Like honestly,” another person commented.
As for @yung_mula_, he has not responded to the criticisms or backlash, but in a recent video, he encouraged others to follow their dreams and quoted Bible scripture Deuteronomy 31:6.
