‘Ghetto,’ ‘boy’: former Kansas City VA employee files race discrimination lawsuit
As complaints of racial discrimination against Kansas City’s Veterans Administration hospital have mounted over the past year, another Black ex-employee has come forward saying he was forced to endure harassment at work that was committed, ignored or bolstered by his supervisors.
Michael Hill, a former accounting technician, filed a civil lawsuit in federal court Friday outlining allegations against the hospital, which has had its workplace culture highlighted by area civil rights groups in recent months. More than 50 Black current and former employees have come forward since last year saying they have experienced racial discrimination while working at the hospital.
A VA spokesman did not immediately reply to The Star’s request for comment. In the past, the VA has said the facility does not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind.
Hill claims he was forced to resign in 2019 after working there for nine years. Beginning in at least 2013, Hill says in the lawsuit that he heard racist slurs directed toward Black workers, including the phrases: “you people,” “ghetto” and “nappy headed.”
In court records, Hill says he was repeatedly referred to as “boy” by coworkers — including supervisors — so often that it essentially became his official nickname at work.
When he complained, court records said, those employees continued calling him “boy” but pretended the name was applied accidentally. Those employees would then say things like, “Oh, I guess I better not say that.”
Hill was long aware of other harassment targeting other Black employees, according to the lawsuit. As a union representative, Hill was also involved in complaints of harassment and discrimination brought forward by fellow employees.
In the lawsuit, Hill points to a pattern of racist behavior that affected him personally as well as other Black employees.
A white coworker once yelled at Hill across the open office calling him a crackhead. Another frequently rode to work on a motorcycle that featured a Confederate flag on his bike, his jacket and his hat. One supervisor pointed to a certificate hanging in the employee’s workspace and referenced it as a symbol of the “cross burning mentality.”
In one case, Hill alleges he was told directly that a Black woman’s natural hair was not appropriate for the VA and looked “ghetto.” The woman was not allowed to train professionals, according to the lawsuit.
Along with a culture of racist harassment and discrimination, Hill alleges he was not given the opportunity to advance within the VA.
The lawsuit claims Hill was passed over for promotions while being tasked with training new employees who would eventually take positions higher than his. He was not given the opportunity to attend work training, receive compensation time or get overtime pay, the lawsuit alleges. And he was not afforded the same work-from-home opportunities as white coworkers.
Some of the experiences caused Hill to be afraid for his safety, court records said. He became stressed and depressed and sought counseling with a therapist.
Rebecca Randles, a Kansas City lawyer representing Hill in his case, is working on several similar cases with the same hospital. She noted the comments were often made by Hill’s own bosses, saying that demonstrates a level of systemic racism within hospital administration.
“These are supervisors at the VA,” Randles said. “And if you have this level of systemic racism at the VA, the veterans of color who are coming in, how are they being treated?”
Civil rights leaders have brought attention to Kansas City’s VA as dozens of employees have come forward with similar stories. Organizational leaders from the NAACP and the Amercian Civil Liberties Union, among others, have called for changes at the hospital.
Hill’s is the second lawsuit over the last month alleging race discrimination in the local VA. There have been at least three within the past year.
In June, a former VA employee who worked in the radiology department sued, accusing the VA of race discrimination, sex discrimination, creating a hostile work environment, and retaliation.
“I just want my voice to be heard,” Grecian Gill said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit last month. “At the end of the day, I want to be treated fairly. And I want to see justice. That’s why I’m here today.”
Her lawsuit points to two incidents in which Gill says she was discriminated against. She said she was retaliated against for filing a harassment complaint against a VA police officer who “became aggressive” with Gill after she told them she would be grateful if the door was opened in a timely manner as she had recently had foot surgery. In the second incident, she was charged with AWOL after she submitted a leave slip to go home before the roads got too dangerous during an extremely snowy day. No other workers who left that day, according to the lawsuit, were charged with AWOL.
In July of last year, Maritas “Tess” Lustado-Lybarger, a Filipina single mother and former Kansas City VA employee, filed a lawsuit alleging the VA discriminated against her based on her race, color, sex, and disability, and that she was retaliated against.
Lustado-Lybarger was continually “degraded and humiliated,” according to that lawsuit, when her supervisors talked to her “disrespectfully,” yelled at her in front of her coworkers, called her slow, and made fun of her national origin and size. She is under 5 feet tall.
Last June, Charmayne “Charlie” Brown went public alleging she had experienced racial discrimination at the Kansas City VA.
She had been called “Aunt Jemima,” repeatedly passed over for promotions, and filed 18 complaints of racial discrimination during her 17 years working there.
Other current and former VA employees have shared their stories with many asking their names not be used for fear of retaliation. They described systemic discrimination against Black employees.
