A Minnesota Ojibwe woman hopes her story of a dehumanizing experience going through security at MSP Airport serves as a lesson.
Tara Houska is used to being pulled aside and patted down at TSA due to her waist-length hair, but has never experienced something like Monday morning. She says an agent snapped her long braids like reins and said "giddy-up."
Going through @TSA at @mspairport, the agent said she needed to pat down my braids. She pulled them behind my shoulders, laughed & said “giddyup!” as she snapped my braids like reins.My hair is part of my spirit. I am a Native woman. I am angry, humiliated. Your “fun” hurt.
— tara houska (@zhaabowekwe) January 13, 2020As a native woman, she says her hair is part of her spirit.
"I don't think (the TSA agent) had ill-intent, or anything like that. I think that she was joking, but the intent doesn't change the outcome, which is this (was) a very offensive thing to do. I'm not an animal, I'm a person."
The attorney and Indigenous-rights advocate says she hopes this leads to better training about treating people respectfully. Houska said she had a productive conversation with a TSA representative. She says she does not want the agent to lose her job.
In a statement, the TSA said "any allegation of improper behavior by a TSA employee is taken seriously and is thoroughly investigated to ensure security protocols were followed."
