Friday, April 18, 2014

Discrimination is Alive and Well

Fatima Doe (last name not her real name), worked in the pharmacy at Wal-mart. She is a citizen and has a Masters’ degree. She is very intelligent, hard working and professional. A new supervisor was appointed. As many know, this is a field that attracts a lot of very educated middle easterners. Fatima was from Iran. Her super told her and everyone else to never speak in their language and would not consider job applicants that sounded foreign for any positions that came open.

A customer came in to complain about his address that had been entered wrong. She came to assist him. His address had been entered incorrectly by one digit by another employee. Fatima’s English is very good but she has an obvious accent.

The customer told her in a loud angry voice, among other insulting things, she shouldn’t be working there taking jobs from Americans and that she needed to go home and get an education. Her supervisor was standing about 4 steps away. When the customer left she asked her supervisor why he did not stand up for her. He pretended not to have heard it all although the other two employees next to him did.

She told her supervisor that if he did not stand up for her and go talk to the customer, she would go confront him. He refused and told her not to do it. After clocking out she did. She was fired.

For 5 months she sent out resumes and didn’t get a single interview. Her daughter Taraneh, told her that she couldn’t get any interviews either until she shortened her name to Tara. Fatima legally then changed her name to Sarah. She even told the Judge that was why she was doing it. After doing this she had 25 interviews within a few of months and was hired.

We think it doesn't go on because it isn't happening to us. It does and we need to be aware of it.

Loren M. Lambert © November 4, 2013

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