[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

At that time, we felt insulted as everyone looked at us and felt as if we were victims of racial discrimination.

To me, and I'm certain most people who do NOT work for an airline, your post made it clear race was NOT the reason you wrote Delta. Unfortunately, it's possible any response you get from Delta will talk about this sentence--and nothing else. As you well know, US-based airlines continue to discriminate against anyone who appears to be of Middle Eastern or South Asian origin. As such, even if the sentence is "buried" in unrelated material airline people will spot that like a hawk and become hyper-defensive.

Your story has made me think. The same thing could have happened to me. I really don't give as much thought, as perhaps I should, to the possibility of mechanical issues. Also, this is a clear demonstration of how one staff member who is either indifferent, poorly trained, or has an attitude, can start a domino effect of misery. I guess the lesson from this story is you should have scheduled an overnight stay in Atlanta in your original booking. Again, in the absence of your story, "overnighting" at a stop only an hour's flight from my point of origin would not occur to me. On the other hand, if one is headed home (returning FROM a trip) "living dangerously" (in terms of connecting flights) is probably more of an option for those who were smart enough not to have to be back to work the next day.