✍🏾: @tiff.chey
Four long-standing black women firefighters by the names of Jadonna Sanders, Shalonda Smith, Takeva Thomas, and Bolatito Ajose have filed a lawsuit with civil rights attorney Pam Keith against D.C. Fire and Emergency.
These women will carry out a dispute to gain $10 million in compensation from D.C. Fire and Emergency due to emotional and mental distress from experiencing race and gender discrimination in the workplace.
According to sources, this lawsuit claims their biased experiences have come in salary payment, promotions, training, job opportunities, and maintaining a non-hostile work environment.
Even with their disciplinary process, they claimed to have been subject to harsher discipline than their fellow non-black colleagues. They are neglected when trying to get things corrected though repeated complaints about unfair treatment.
This is not the first time D.C FEM has received complaints and requests for change. In a similar case filed in 2006, women firefighters were forced to take pregnancy tests and had to have negative tests to remain employed, which led to trauma for some women employees having to make hard decisions to make a living.
“This case is about systemic characteristics of DC FEMS that turn it into a “boys club” in which Black women are tolerated but not embraced or treated as equals, and in which Black women always have to beg, scrape and fight just to be treated fairly,” said attorney Keith.
These women are taking a stand to make a difference for themselves and other young black girls who may one day want to become a firefighter, so they don’t have the same work experience. #BWLM💕
