Former Top URI Administrator Joins Professor in Alleging Racism at University in New Federal Lawsuit
Friday, August 27, 2021
A second former University of Rhode Island (URI) employee has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging racism — and civil rights violations — at the university.
GoLocal was first to report that former URI Professor Louis Kwame Fosu — who accused the school of “Jim Crow” racism — filed a lawsuit in federal court in July.
Fosu, who had taught in the Political Science department at URI since 2019 before being terminated, charged that the school was responsible for the “deliberate and racist demonizing exclusion of highly qualified African-Americans/Blacks, Latinos/Hispanics and Native Americans from positions of senior leadership and other positions throughout the university."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNow, former URI Assistant Director of Enrollment Barry O’Connor — a Cranston resident — is alleging in a new federal lawsuit filed last week that an employee in his department said “he was only hired because he is African-American.”
The lawsuit filed by O’Connor alleges that his race was the basis for being refused training by colleagues and supervisors, retaliated against, and ultimately dismissed, which he said was in violation of his civil rights.
“Professor Fosu has contacted us to express his support for Mr. O’Connor’s suit,” Joe Daigle, O’Connor’s attorney, told GoLocal. “The similarity between their cases suggests that the University of Rhode Island is not receptive to complaints about racial discrimination.”
“We feel confident in the strength of our case and look forward to the opportunity to bring it before a jury,” Daigle added.
About Suit
According to the suit, O’Connor was hired in 2018 by URI as an Assistant Director of Enrollment. O’Connor said he was told at the time he would receive training from a supervisor and employee in the department — both white — which he said both refused to fulfill.
“In almost every instance when plaintiff would schedule a training session [with the employee who said he was hired on the basis of race], she would leave work or call in sick. This occurred more than 30 times during this period,” the lawsuit alleges.
O’Connor said that when he went to his supervisor to complain, she said she “questioned his capacity to handle his new position” — and refused to provide the promised support. O’Connor said that he then went to the Director of Enrollment — who issued O’Connor a reprimand, but neither his colleague nor supervisor.
According to O’Connor, the Director of Enrollment — also African-American — told O'Connor he experience similar treatment from the supervisor, and “agreed their treatment was based on race.”
O’Connor said he was subsequently not allowed to perform certain work that was in his job description, was transferred to URI’s satellite office in Providence which “further isolated him,” and was ultimately terminated at the end of 2019.
The employee who refused to train him was chosen to fill his job, according to the suit.
The lawsuit alleges URI retaliated against him in violation of Rhode Island law, and that the university is in violation of the RI Fair Employment Practices Act as well as federal Civil Rights Acts, in that he was racially discriminated against by URI.
O’Connor is seeking compensatory damages for lost wages and mental anguish, punitive damages, and other relief as the court deems “just and proper.”
Former Professor Breaks Down Demographics
This summer, Fosu researched — and published through “Diversity Think Tank” what he says is “race data analysis [at] URI colleges and senior leadership.”
The analysis concludes that there is a “systemically racist pattern of ‘white’ over-representation throughout all departments at URI.”
Fosu said his findings disputed what was put forth by URI in July.
“[The] all-white team at URI who are consistently manipulating and presenting fabricated diversity & race data have one goal—to protect and perpetuate their entrenched white power and supremacy,” he said.
URI did not respond to request for comment on the lawsuit or diversity report.
URI Green Hall Photo: CC 3.0/Tnricci
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