Two supervisors allegedly echoed the very remarks she came to report
A Sam's Club cashier in Alabama says she was mocked for her faith, laughed at when she reported it, then fired.
Malayja Walton was hired at a Sam's Club store in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in October 2023. A Black woman who practices the Holiness Christian faith, Walton covers her hair and wears long skirts and modest clothing as part of her religious observance. It did not take long, according to a federal lawsuit filed on March 17, for co-workers to take notice — and, she says, to take aim.
In the suit (Walton v. Sam's East, Inc., Case No. 7:26-cv-00450-EGL, N.D. Ala.), Walton alleges that co-workers accused her of being Islamic and questioned whether she was American because of the way she dressed. One co-worker, Caroline Blair, allegedly told Walton she could not be Christian. A male colleague asked if she was American because she covered her hair. The comments, Walton says, were persistent and sometimes made in front of customers.
What happened next, if the allegations hold, may be the part of the story that keeps HR leaders up at night.
In or around May 2024, Walton brought her concerns to her team lead supervisor, Ms. Grant, and the marketing manager, Ms. Davis. According to the filing, both women laughed. They told Walton that everyone was thinking the same thing about her and asked whether she was American — echoing the very remarks she had come to report.
The company, which maintains a policy...
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