Source: JOSH EDELSON / Getty
There are a number of reasons people, particularly Black people, have concerns when it comes to Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. But all of his Trump-backing and “free speech” advocacy (which we all know will inevitably include hate speech and dangerous propaganda and misinformation) aside, Black folks are wary because Musk is responsible for Telsa and Telas has Black employees by the thousands accusing the company of racism.
And that hasn’t changed as yet another Black Telsa employee has recently filed yet another racial discrimination lawsuit against the company.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, Black Telsa employee Raina Pierce filed the suit on Friday suit claiming, among other things, that the manager at the Telsa factory in Fremont, California, would sometimes greet employees by saying, “Welcome to the plantation,” or, “Welcome to the slave house.”
Now, if you’re a Black employee working for white people anywhere, you know that even in jest, a boss’ references to slavery are unacceptable in any context. Just don’t do it. It ain’t funny—like, at all.
But the “I heart Blacks in chains” references aren’t the only issue, according to Pierce, who said in her complaint that “Tesla’s facilities contain the n-word throughout.” She also said she was personally called the n-word and other sexist slurs while at work and she accused her supervisors of treating her differently than other employees because she is Black.
From the Mercury News:
Pierce further claimed in her suit that when a facility manager noticed she had been assigned to push two carts that were too heavy for one person, and notified her direct supervisors, one of them angrily claimed she had gotten him in trouble, and later made a vulgar comment about not being able to stand Black people.
Her supervisors let non-Black workers swap work stations regularly, but denied her requests to switch stations, and also disciplined her more frequently and severely than they did non-Black workers, the suit alleged.
She claimed in the suit that Tesla, in addition to discriminating against her on the basis of race and gender, and failing to stop the alleged race-based harassment, retaliated against her for reporting the purported issues by making her stay on leave for more than three months. She is seeking general, punitive and compensatory damages.
Black Enterprise noted that Peirce is the third Black employee to file a racial discrimination lawsuit against the electric car company this year alone.
Tagged: Elon Musk, entertainment blog, music blog, NEWS, racism, Tesla