Don’t Let the Power Get to Your Head

“I was working at an important political building with a long-standing staff, primarily consisting of black employees. A new manager, an older white woman, arrived and began berating employees for not doing their jobs, even when they were clearly performing their duties as defined. She would push employees until they responded, and then she’d fire them for insubordination. Shockingly, she terminated ten out of 13 employees, all of whom were black, and replaced them with white workers.”

“When she turned her attention to me and started berating me, I refused to react. This lack of reaction led her to accuse me of being insubordinate and promptly fired me. However, the situation took a turn six months later. She was terminated from her position, her supervisor was also fired, and his supervisor was demoted to a less desirable position. Additionally, a lawsuit was filed that resulted in about $100,000 in damages being awarded to the victims of her discriminatory actions.”