KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI – A lawsuit says the employees of the Community Healing Centers based in Kalamazoo committed multiple civil rights violations.
Timothy Henson was fired in retaliation for raising concerns about racial pay disparities, racist comments and COVID-19 safety violations, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court — Western District of Michigan.
Henson joined the rehabilitation treatment center in Kalamazoo County in 2019, according to the lawsuit. He is a clinical social worker and worked as the clinical director of children’s services before he was fired in November.
He started supervising a Black woman in July 2020 when Human Resources Director Mark Ferguson scheduled a meeting, the lawsuit said. During that meeting Ferguson told Henson that the only reason the Black woman was still employed was because she plays “the Black card,” the lawsuit alleges.
When Henson interviewed a Black person in February, Ferguson said the team was “discriminating against white people,” and he said, “diversity hires are a mistake,” the lawsuit alleges. Ferguson then told Henson that race should not be considered in job applications, however interviewers do not know a candidates race prior to an interview, the lawsuit said.
The center does not comment on pending litigation but does look forward to sharing its side of the story in court, Executive Director Chris Slater said in a statement sent to MLive. Slater joined the center as the new executive director in June...
Actress Nana faces a crucial legal moment today as the appeal sentencing trial is held for a man in his 30s, identified as A, who broke into her home and later counter-sued her. The Seoul High Cou...