After allegations of racial and religious profiling, non-profit South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) ended its seven-year collaboration with Southwest Airlines.
“We felt it was a hard choice to make, but it was one that was important for us to make and one that we continue to stand by,” SAALT executive
director Suman Raghunathan told NBC News. As an organization that relies on foundations, corporations, and individuals, declining funding is difficult."
"But we felt it was important for our organization to put our money where our mouth was and decline funding
from a corporation that wasn't demonstrating and upholding SAALT's values, particularly against racial and religious profiling," she said.
On Friday, SAALT, which promotes South Asian voices and inclusion, announced the decision. After a number of documented racial and
religious profiling events on Southwest flights, including one where a University of California, Berkeley student was removed after speaking to his uncle
Raghunathan said SAALT demanded Southwest apologize to identified persons and provide information on worker training to address and
eliminate racial and religious profiling. She claimed no apology has been offered, and the organization has not seen the airline develop profiling protections.