CHULA VISTA, Calif. — For the second time in three years, Southwestern College is being sued for alleged racial discrimination. A group of Black employees filed suit back in 2017 and that case was settled last year.
Last week, another suit from Black staff members claiming racial discrimination was filed against the college. At least five current and former employees at Southwestern College filed a lawsuit last week claiming that nothing’s really changed since the last lawsuit. They said the school is still a hostile environment for African Americans on campus.
Allegations of being called the "N-word" by White & Latinx employees, being denied promotions and overtime, and feces being placed in a Black custodian’s locker were documented in a study of Southwestern College by USC researchers in 2018.
“Subsequent to that, Southwestern decided to make a president’s task force to kind of address some of these issues. So, my clients waited to see what was going to come from that. Unfortunately, this president’s task force didn’t do anything,” said Dante Pride, a partner with the Pride Law Firm, which represents the plaintiffs in the latest lawsuit.
The Black employees that Pride represents now said they’re filing suit to hold Southwestern College accountable for what they said is anti-Blackness that continues to persist.
“I have spoken with prior administrators of the college and they seem to echo the sentiments of my clients, which is there’s something awry at Southwestern College that needs to be fixed, needs to be handled. Hopefully, this lawsuit will help us get there, make that next step forward,” Pride said.
In response to an article about the lawsuit in the L.A. Times, Southwestern College President Kindred Murillo said:
“Southwestern College has long had policies against racism and discrimination…The College is reviewing the complaint, takes the allegations raised seriously and will address any issues in an appropriate and thorough manner.”
San Diego’s NAACP President Francine Maxwell also weighed in on the issues.
“They’ve had forums, but they’re checking the box. We need real action. We need people to be able to come and look at each other and know that you are equal partners on this campus,” Maxwell said.
A survey conducted in March of this year also showed 40% of students and employees felt racial tension at Southwestern College and 50% said they’d witnessed discrimination on campus.