Race and National Origin Discrimination Case Studies
Race and national origin are both "protected classes" under federal and state anti-discrimination laws. Though they are separate claims legally, the facts and issues are often intertwined, as many people present both as a minority race and as a different ethnic group.
Below are a few of the many examples of people we have helped with workplace discrimination based on race and/or national origin. The names and images are fictitious, but the stories are real. Every person's story is a little different, but there are lessons to be learned from people who have gone through similar situations. Race Discrimination at a Private CollegeCarol was an African American woman who worked in human resources for a private educational institution. She received exceptional performance ratings for the majority of her time there.
For the first part of her tenure, her supervisor was also a woman of color. During that time, the human resources department was the only department at the college that had multiple people of color on the team, and as a group they were frequently subject to criticism and negative comments from people in other departments. When Carol's first supervisor left, in part because of the pervasive negative treatment of people of color in human resources, she faced increasingly hostile treatment from new management. Read more here. Race Discrimination in a BankDonna was an African American woman who had a long career in bank management. She started with this particular employer as a Floating Assistant Branch Manager, working in several locations and receiving excellent performance reviews.
The trouble began when she was placed in a new branch, with a Branch Manager who was openly hostile to her. When she was nominated for a leadership award within the company, he questioned her selection and suggested her race might have been a factor. One day, a white customer came into the branch behaving erratically. Donna tried to help the customer, but he left the bank and then called customer service to complain about Donna in explicitly racist terms. Read more here. National Origin Discrimination Against a ScientistMaria was a scientist and researcher at a research institution in Boston. She had worked there for three years, starting as a Chief Scientist and later promoted to Principal Investigator. In this role, she acquired numerous valuable grants, and was the lead on the funded research projects. Throughout the entirety of her employment, Maria received uniformly positive performance reviews.
For the last three months of her employment, Maria was placed under a new supervisor, who was non-Hispanic. She immediately began to experience hostility from this supervisor, who ridiculed Maria's suggestion that their differing backgrounds could allow them to collaborate effectively. Maria reported her discomfort with this conversation to Human Resources, but no action was taken. Read more here. |
We're Here to Help.OR
|
Questions About Workplace Discrimination?
Our Solutions Roadmap is a quick and easy way to share the details of what you are facing and receive preliminary feedback from a member of our team. Use the button below to get started- it is 100% confidential and 100% free.
National Origin Discrimination in a Commercial Bakery
Lucy and Paulo were a married couple who were Brazilian nationals working in the United states on green cards. For over twelve years they had both worked at a commercial bakery in Massachusetts, Lucy on the production floor and Paulo as a manual laborer.
Though their English proficiency was limited, they performed their jobs well for many years. However, as a result of the baking materials in production, Lucy developed asthma, and Paulo developed back problems as a result of his physical labor. Nonetheless, they continued to do their jobs.
After twelve years the company was bought out and new management came on board. At that time Lucy and Paul were two of only three Brazilian employees. It was immediately apparent that new management treated the three of them differently. Read more here.
Though their English proficiency was limited, they performed their jobs well for many years. However, as a result of the baking materials in production, Lucy developed asthma, and Paulo developed back problems as a result of his physical labor. Nonetheless, they continued to do their jobs.
After twelve years the company was bought out and new management came on board. At that time Lucy and Paul were two of only three Brazilian employees. It was immediately apparent that new management treated the three of them differently. Read more here.
Race and National Origin Discrimination in Educational Setting
Roseline, a black woman of Haitian descent, worked for a nonprofit organization providing early education, enrichment, and family services. Roseline worked as a family support clinician, and had been in the job for two years. Her work was marked by notable successes as she built connections with children and families in the program. During her first two years, she received a stellar employee performance report, a bonus, and an increase in her hours. The scope of her work was expanded to include middle and high school students, as well as implementing Girls Group services.
At the beginning of her third year, however, she was assigned to work at a summer camp location she had not previously worked at. There, she encountered a white co-worker who routinely made racial comments about co-workers of color and also about families of color who were served by the camp. These included comments to black co-workers about wanting to be as "tan" as them, and a statement about a young Haitian boy that his parents overdressed him because "they're like that." Read more here.
At the beginning of her third year, however, she was assigned to work at a summer camp location she had not previously worked at. There, she encountered a white co-worker who routinely made racial comments about co-workers of color and also about families of color who were served by the camp. These included comments to black co-workers about wanting to be as "tan" as them, and a statement about a young Haitian boy that his parents overdressed him because "they're like that." Read more here.
Race Discrimination in a Human Resources Department
Sarah, an experienced Human Resources manager and an African American woman, joined a ground handling and cargo company with high hopes. She successfully managed HR departments for two major airports, showing dedication and resilience. Yet, adversity soon emerged as she encountered racial discrimination from colleagues, including derogatory comments and a lack of support. Despite her complaints, the company took no action to address the issue.
Sarah's situation worsened when she reported COVID-related concerns, facing retaliation as a result. She was terminated without cause, with no explanation provided. It became clear that her employer aimed to silence her and cover up their discriminatory actions.
Sarah's case highlights the crucial issue of racial discrimination and retaliation in the workplace. Despite her challenging journey, Sarah's resilience paid off as she sought justice with our firm's support. Her case serves as a powerful example of standing up against injustice and demanding fair treatment. Read more here.
Sarah's situation worsened when she reported COVID-related concerns, facing retaliation as a result. She was terminated without cause, with no explanation provided. It became clear that her employer aimed to silence her and cover up their discriminatory actions.
Sarah's case highlights the crucial issue of racial discrimination and retaliation in the workplace. Despite her challenging journey, Sarah's resilience paid off as she sought justice with our firm's support. Her case serves as a powerful example of standing up against injustice and demanding fair treatment. Read more here.
Meet Our Employment Lawyers
Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years before starting the firm that became slnlaw in 2009. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year. She has written a book on employment law: Rules of the Road, What You Need to Know About Employment Laws in Massachusetts, and helped thousands of clients on both the employee and employer side with severance and non compete review and negotiation, wage and hour, discrimination and retaliation disputes, and advice about employment law generally.
Rebecca Rogers: Rebecca is a 2006 graduate of Boston College Law School, and has worked with slnlaw since 2013. She previously worked as an intellectual property litigation attorney for Fish & Richardson in Boston, Massachusetts, and clerked for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Rebecca has helped clients with wage and hour disputes, employment discrimination and retaliation claims, review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, and advice to both employees and employers about navigating complex employment situations.
Jenna Ordway: Jenna is a 2013 graduate of Quinnipiac Law School, and also earned an LLM in Taxation from Boston University in 2015. She has been affiliated with slnlaw since 2011, first as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Jenna has been recognized since 2019 as a "Rising Star" by Massachusetts Superlawyers. Jenna has helped clients with review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, wage and hour disputes, employment and discrimination claims, and advice to small business owners about employment law and other business matters.
Elijah Bresley: Eli is a 2014 graduate of Seton Hall Law school, and has worked with slnlaw since 2020. He previously worked for a boutique employment law firm outside of Boston, and then for the Labor and Employment department of a large Boston firm. He also spent a year clerking for the judges of the Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut. Eli has helped clients on the employee and employer side with all varieties of employment law issues, including employment discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour issues, litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts, and advising employers about employment policies and practices.
Sharleen Tinnin: Sharleen is a 2010 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, and has been with slnlaw since 2023. Prior to joining slnlaw, she worked with King, Tilden, McEttrick & Brink, P.C. on complex civil litigation matters. She previously worked for the United States Department of Justice, and received an "Excellence in Justice" award in 2017. Sharleen has helped clients with wage and hour, discrimination and retaliation disputes, review and negotiation of severance agreements, and litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts on employment related issues.
How We Can Help
We can help you assess whether you have a discrimination claim and secure any compensation you are owed. You can use the button below to schedule a call back from a member of our team, or give us a call at 781-784-2322.
Emily Smith-Lee Rated by Super Lawyers loading ... |
Jenna Ordway
Rated by Super Lawyers loading ... |