A Supervisor is Overheard “Joking” About the N-Word with a White Subordinate
This post is based on actual events relayed to me, S. Mary Wills, this morning.
I just started a new job and received a phone call from a Black coworker, who was very upset. She’d just been on a morning group conference call with our supervisor and 8 other team members. FYI, I participate in the nightly conference call. So, I can only tell you what has been relayed to me by 3 people on that morning conference call.
The work we do is field work in support of a government contract. We are out in the community, each assigned to different areas. Near the middle of our quarterly field assignments, we will sometimes (I am told) switch assignment areas to see if someone else might have more success in that location. So, that’s the background. You should also know that I have changed the real names of the people involved, but the content is dead on.
Keep in mind, this is not everything said on the call, but those comments related to race. These are the people involved:
JOE (a White, male and supervisor of everyone on the call)
BECKY (a White, female field worker)
SUZY (a White, female field worker)
DEBRA (a Black, female field worker)
CHRISTIAN (a Puerto Rican, male field worker)
Becky, Suzy, Debra, and Christian are all on the same level in the same position. Debra and Christian are new employees.
Here’s what was said: (I am paraphrasing except where you see quotes)
Joe: So, Becky, are you ready to transition your work to someone else on the team?
Becky: Yeah, but “just make sure you send someone White" to my area.
Debra: “Excuse me, but are you saying that Black people or minorities can't work in your area? That’s not right. That sounds racist to me."
Becky: Where I’ve been working is "just young White yuppies and that's what they want to see." That's all I'm saying.
Joe jumps into the conversation and asks Suzy about who should cover her area. Suzy replies:
Suzy: My area isn’t really White like it says on the listing sheet. It’s mostly Black. "You should send a Black person to my area, but make sure that they're dark and strange."
Debra. “Hold on. I'm taking offense to this. Black and strange? What does Black and strange mean?"
Joe (to Debra): "Well, we have to match the people with the community."
Becky (to Debra): "You are taking this all out of context and all out of proportion. You just need to lighten up a bit.” This is how we do things around here.
Debra and Becky go back and forth on the issue.
Christian: “Look, I'm not Black. But, what she said was wrong. It was wrong. To use the word "strange" that wasn't professional and it wasn't right."
Joe: "Let's move right along. Any other questions?"
Debra: "You can't just sweep this under the rug, Joe. You can't let people take offense and keep moving along."
Joe: I’ll speak to everyone on your individual calls. Does anyone in the group have any questions or issues?
So, the call goes on and Debra hangs up. But, Christian doesn’t. Once Debra hung up, and Joe and Becky thought Christian did, Joe and Becky beginning talking about the race conversation.
Christian puts his phone on mute and hears Joe and Becky talking about Debra and race. Christian puts his house phone on mute and calls Debra on his cell phone. He places his cell phone on the speaker setting so that Debra and another person can also eavesdrop on the conversation.
Becky: "You need to tell them about that [assigning people to locations based on their race]. They need to know. I am scared of these people.”
Joe: "In NY it's not just a race thing, but a lot of ethnic racism, like Haitians against Jamaicans and Puerto Ricans against Dominicans.”
Becky: I didn’t know that.
Joe (laughing): “I was really hoping that you would call her the n-word (laughing)…And, you were telling her to lighten up. She probably took offense that. She’s Black and you kept saying lighten up. (laughing)"
Becky: “I don't know what her complexion is. I’ve never even met her!"
Joe: "She's a dark skinned woman and you kept saying she needed to lighten up!"
Joe and Becky both break into hysterical laughter.
There was exchange between Joe and Becky where they said that another field worker shouldn’t be sent to a certain neighborhood because she was Black (that was okay), but she had a British accent and Haitians in the neighborhood wouldn't like her and she wouldn't do well. But, the Jamaicans would like her.
I will post my analysis on all the things that went horribly wrong on this call and regarding the portion of the call that was overhead—and confirmed to my by 3 people!
In the meantime, what do you think about this conference call? Post your comments.
I just started a new job and received a phone call from a Black coworker, who was very upset. She’d just been on a morning group conference call with our supervisor and 8 other team members. FYI, I participate in the nightly conference call. So, I can only tell you what has been relayed to me by 3 people on that morning conference call.
The work we do is field work in support of a government contract. We are out in the community, each assigned to different areas. Near the middle of our quarterly field assignments, we will sometimes (I am told) switch assignment areas to see if someone else might have more success in that location. So, that’s the background. You should also know that I have changed the real names of the people involved, but the content is dead on.
Keep in mind, this is not everything said on the call, but those comments related to race. These are the people involved:
JOE (a White, male and supervisor of everyone on the call)
BECKY (a White, female field worker)
SUZY (a White, female field worker)
DEBRA (a Black, female field worker)
CHRISTIAN (a Puerto Rican, male field worker)
Becky, Suzy, Debra, and Christian are all on the same level in the same position. Debra and Christian are new employees.
Here’s what was said: (I am paraphrasing except where you see quotes)
Joe: So, Becky, are you ready to transition your work to someone else on the team?
Becky: Yeah, but “just make sure you send someone White" to my area.
Debra: “Excuse me, but are you saying that Black people or minorities can't work in your area? That’s not right. That sounds racist to me."
Becky: Where I’ve been working is "just young White yuppies and that's what they want to see." That's all I'm saying.
Joe jumps into the conversation and asks Suzy about who should cover her area. Suzy replies:
Suzy: My area isn’t really White like it says on the listing sheet. It’s mostly Black. "You should send a Black person to my area, but make sure that they're dark and strange."
Debra. “Hold on. I'm taking offense to this. Black and strange? What does Black and strange mean?"
Joe (to Debra): "Well, we have to match the people with the community."
Becky (to Debra): "You are taking this all out of context and all out of proportion. You just need to lighten up a bit.” This is how we do things around here.
Debra and Becky go back and forth on the issue.
Christian: “Look, I'm not Black. But, what she said was wrong. It was wrong. To use the word "strange" that wasn't professional and it wasn't right."
Joe: "Let's move right along. Any other questions?"
Debra: "You can't just sweep this under the rug, Joe. You can't let people take offense and keep moving along."
Joe: I’ll speak to everyone on your individual calls. Does anyone in the group have any questions or issues?
So, the call goes on and Debra hangs up. But, Christian doesn’t. Once Debra hung up, and Joe and Becky thought Christian did, Joe and Becky beginning talking about the race conversation.
Christian puts his phone on mute and hears Joe and Becky talking about Debra and race. Christian puts his house phone on mute and calls Debra on his cell phone. He places his cell phone on the speaker setting so that Debra and another person can also eavesdrop on the conversation.
Becky: "You need to tell them about that [assigning people to locations based on their race]. They need to know. I am scared of these people.”
Joe: "In NY it's not just a race thing, but a lot of ethnic racism, like Haitians against Jamaicans and Puerto Ricans against Dominicans.”
Becky: I didn’t know that.
Joe (laughing): “I was really hoping that you would call her the n-word (laughing)…And, you were telling her to lighten up. She probably took offense that. She’s Black and you kept saying lighten up. (laughing)"
Becky: “I don't know what her complexion is. I’ve never even met her!"
Joe: "She's a dark skinned woman and you kept saying she needed to lighten up!"
Joe and Becky both break into hysterical laughter.
There was exchange between Joe and Becky where they said that another field worker shouldn’t be sent to a certain neighborhood because she was Black (that was okay), but she had a British accent and Haitians in the neighborhood wouldn't like her and she wouldn't do well. But, the Jamaicans would like her.
I will post my analysis on all the things that went horribly wrong on this call and regarding the portion of the call that was overhead—and confirmed to my by 3 people!
In the meantime, what do you think about this conference call? Post your comments.
Labels: discrimination, racial profiling, racist perceptions, stereotypes
posted by S. Mary Wills at 1:11 PM
5 Comments:
As much as I appreciate your blog and advice this is my comment. Why do YOU work here? What were the signs that told you that this may become another discrimination law suit? It appears there have been problems with your "new" job since you were in training. So do you stick it out, focus on doing your job and fighting racism? Do you help your other coworkers deal with this. Do you monitor, record, make notes to build your case and advise your coworker to do the same. From what you are saying this is a "toxic, disrespectful environment" that nurtures, allows and accepts this type of behavior. As much as I respect what you are doing here, my question to you is with all your experience are you unable to see all of this before you accept working at a place like this. Apparently racism, sexism, and ageism is having its hey day in America. Should your coworker have demanded being treated with more respect? And for goodness sakes what do you do about blatantly racist remarks? Once we call it out as what it is disrespectful and racist, do we continue to participate or do we have respect for ourselves (because apparently this group doesn't) and remove ourselves from the conversation. This place sounds ill.
Anonymous, you remind me of someone in your writing. I hope you aren't who I think you are.
Let me start by saying MOST PEOPLE DO NOT AND WOULD NOT DO WHAT I HAVE ALREADY DONE!
I had to relocate to New York from Maryland because I stuck my neck on the line for a coworker/friend, who was targeted because of race. Out of all the Blacks that worked with us, NO ONE admitted what they saw and heard. I was her sole corroborating witness. And, what did I get?
Run out of my damn job as soon as the determination of guilt was rendered against our employer. I was denied a promotion, denied a transfer that I'd trained and worked for and was the target of the executive/director of my department, my supervisor, and a mid-level coworker. I was documented at every end, set up for failure, and given 2 malicious performance evaluations.
I was about to be placed on high blood pressure medicine. Lost my hair. Slept 0-2 hours each night. Was prescribed Xanax for my nerves, etc.
So, my question to you and anyone else, who wonders about what I do and what I would do...
What the heck have YOU done for yourself or anyone else regarding race at work? I respect your right to speak on the issue, but I take some umbrage to this because I left a huge apartment I loved behind, I left friends behind, I left a life behind in another state because I volunteered to make myself a target of White workplace retribution!
No one can ever ask, what I've done. Not in any capacity, considering what I've already given up. I left without a job lined up and struggled finding suitable and equivalent work. Who supported me? Who gave me money? Who put a roof over my head? My family. I have taken care of myself since I was a teenager!! So, think about the price I paid to fight racism at work.
I am far from a hyprocrite and I will toot my own horn and say that I am braver, in the workplace, then many people who only know how to talk a good game about what they would say or do at work.
I have stuck my neck on the line for many a Black coworker, writing emails, doing research, defending them against attacks, going to see lawyer's, standing up to their attackers--on their behalf, committing things to writing--on their behalf, etc. So, I don't appreciate the premise of anything written by anonymous regarding the questions being asked about how I ended up on this job and why I still work there.
I've actually been working on a assignments for about 3 weeks. So, why was "new" in quotes. This is a new job.
My next response is to say that when I was told about this phone call, I said, "We need to contact EEOC!" I volunteered to do that. No one else, no other minority, was willing to do that at this point. I was told to hold off FOR NOW.
To your question about with all my experience, did I not see all this coming before accepting work? Let's get real for a minute. How would I see that there would be raced-based criteria for switching assignments before accepting a job? I don't have ESP, do you?
We may all get a vibe from time to time from someone interviewing us for a position, but that person usually isn't the person we report to and may not reflect our experiences, once we are hired. So, what in fact can anyone know about a workplace, before they actually immerse themselves in the experience of working there? The answer is "nothing." Until you work somewhere, you don't know what your personal experience will be.
I obviously did not expect this, especially in a 3 week time frame. Why would I? Just because I write a blog like this doesn't mean I expect to find racism around everyone corner. I try to bring positivity to every experience I have. I don't go around looking for the worst in anyone or any situation, even though I also keep myself ready for the possibility that I will be sorely disappointed in what I find at a job.
It's easy to ask, "Why do YOU work here?" I work because I need money to live, just like you and everyone else. Do you want to subscribe to this blog, so I can generate some extra income?
I put my money where my mouth is. I don't just write this blog to give lip service. I'm not trying to be defensive, however, I value my reputation on this blog as someone who is honest about the realities of racism at work and who is willing to stand up to any challenges presented by workplace racism.
I volunteered to document this incident for my coworker and to sign the document, along with her showing I supported everything written, including that this man was violating Federal law. This is despite the fact that I was not on the phone call and have heard none of this for myself. I am still willing to take her word and the word of the other 2 people I spoke to. I did not try to minimalize or marginalize what they had to say or to try to sweep this under the rug.
I was asked not to get involved, by my coworker. It is not my place to force myself into a situation that she has asked me to leave to her. She is fearful of retaliation, but, again, she wanted to handle this alone because she was the one to take on this supervisor and our coworkers.
She only wanted advice from me. FOR NOW! She knows my offer to speak up and write up remains on the table. So, that's what I did. What would YOU have offered to do?
Am I quitting? No! Not at this point. I have left one job without another lined up and I am not in a position to do that again right now. I have always spoken honestly about everyone making individual considerations about the actions they need to take.
Should my coworker demand respect? Of course, and she has responded demanding respect AND ANSWERS!
We will see how he responds to my coworker, who shared her email with me. It is very specific and doesn't sugar coat what happened. She chooses to respond on her own, despite the fact that she is scared of repercussions, such as retaliation by this manager. I volunteered to sign her email, but she refused. Still, she knows I have her back! Whose back do you have?
So, that is my long-winded response to your post. No, I'm not quitting my job! Would YOU? And, HAVE YOU? I have already done that, Aanonymous!! I've spilled serious blood for the cause, many sacrifices not shared because they are too personal. Only someone else who's ALREADY made such sacrifices has a right to question me.
And, you heard it here!!
I find it interesting that whenever there is stereotypical and bigoted comments made by white folks, the accusers is always overreacting in some form. How in the hell was Debra or you for that matter, suppose to know that this location was overrun with bigots? Do they honestly believe you purposely picked out this job so that you can be talked about?
-April from LA
April in LA,
You're exactly right. How does anyone know what a job is like until they work there? This was an absolutely ridiculous question from "Anonymous."
I posted this conversation, relayed to me by others, because it serves as a LIVING LESSON that fits perfectly into what this blog is about--workplace racism. This was meant to share/explain exactly what was illegal about the conversation (in the next day's post) and, if I were given the opportunity, I'd planned to follow that up with a discussion on what my coworker did to respond to the racist and discriminatory conduct on the phone call.
But, Anonymous was too busy trying to attack me and my coworkers as just sitting back and taking it without allowing me to write more posts about what transpired! I'm not going to write a 2 page post, so things were going to be divided up--as I'd mentioned when I said I would do analysis of the call the next day.
Anonymous was just plain out of line. I can't stand when people, who don't say they've done anything, ask someone who has done something (my past actions attest to that) and who is doing something (this blog and writing a book on workplace racism) what THEY ARE DOING to help our people's cause.
I've been thanked by many people on this blog, who've used some of the tips or resources for their situations. And, I've provided tips via email to people who've asked for specific help. All for FREE.
So, I'm not having anyone question me, when I've helped friends and strangers battle workplace racism!
Anonymous didn't make any comments about what he/she was doing or had done to fight workplace racism. That's what pissed me off. Talkers always want to try to attack people who have done and who've tried to live by example!
Anonymous doesn't need to come back to this blog if he/she has an issue with me and my dedication to this struggle.
Joe, Suzy and becky should be fired along with there owner,because he is the leader of the pack. The new hirees should go to EEOC screaming and own that company. People need to understand that they just can't treat people any way they want to reguardless of their skin color. We as a black community should not stand back and allow it. We have children and grandchildren coming along in this generation and we need to set things straight for them. Own that company and send your childer or grandchild to school to become educated to the fullest.
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