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Teacher may file race discrimination suit in New York

On Behalf of | Apr 13, 2017 | Uncategorized

A former instructor for a Head Start program in another state recently claimed that her work environment was racially hostile. She has filed a lawsuit against the county community action commission responsible for the program, claiming racial discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of race is illegal, so employees in New York and other states have the right to take legal action against companies that mistreat them due to their race.

In the out-of-state case, the Black woman, 44, was hired by the commission to teach at Head Start back in 2001. However, during the final few years of teaching, she allegedly started to experience racial harassment. For instance, a cook in the cafeteria is said to have used explicit language toward the woman, which included calling her a money, black rat and gorilla.

The woman also claimed that her previous supervisor frequently called her a mad Black woman. This supervisor is also said to have commented that Black women struggle to control their anger. The woman was eventually terminated for video recording or photographing students without the consent of parents — something that other employees would reportedly do to post pictures to the commission’s social media page. The commission that hired the woman stated that they denied the woman’s claims and would be fighting them.

In her lawsuit, the woman is seeking both general and special compensatory damages. She is also seeking punitive and exemplary damages, along with lawyer fees and other suit costs. Anybody in New York who has suffered race discrimination has the right to explore all of his or her legal options, including filing a lawsuit, in an effort to seek justice. Remedies from a successfully fought lawsuit may include the reinstatement of a job or even monetary relief based on the particular case.

Source: santamariasun.com, “Head Start teacher sues Community Action Commission for racial discrimination“, Brenna Swanston, April 12, 2017