February 8th 2024.
Southern fast-food restaurant Bojangles has been accused of engaging in racist practices, according to a former employee. This news comes after Roslyn McManus, a 54-year-old Black woman who was hired by the North Carolina-based franchise in December 2019, filed a lawsuit against the company in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on February 1st. In her lawsuit, McManus alleges that Bojangles violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and details several incidents of racism she experienced during her time working for the restaurant chain.
One of the incidents mentioned in the complaint occurred shortly after McManus began her training in either January or February of 2020. She claims that someone wrote "Support Trump 2020" in flour on a biscuit table, which she believes was a racist act due to the former president's history of polarizing and racially insensitive statements and actions. The complaint also mentions that some individuals who supported Trump in 2020 were associated with extremist or white supremacist groups.
McManus goes on to allege that during this same time period, a senior director of field training named Robert Yonyetye only spoke to white employees whenever he visited the store where she was training. Once McManus completed her training and was assigned to another store, she says that the company reneged on their promise to promote her from assistant general manager to general manager as soon as the opportunity arose. Instead, these positions were filled by white candidates.
Eventually, McManus did receive the promotion she had been promised, but according to her complaint, the store she was placed in had a culture of racism. She claims that a white area director named Katie Murry regularly made racially derogatory comments and gestures towards African American employees, including making monkey noises and referring to Black managers as "dumb." Murry also allegedly made derogatory comments about Black employees who were overweight.
In May 2021, McManus sent a letter to the new area director, Zachary Caines, stating her intention to resign after working at the location for five months. She reported working an average of 80 hours a week without receiving any overtime pay past 50 hours. Caines promised to get her help if she did not resign, and McManus withdrew her resignation. However, two months later, she reported two years' worth of racist incidents to the company's Human Resources Department, and the report was shared with Caines.
According to her complaint, Caines and another manager laughed while reading her report in the restaurant, and later that day, she received an email informing her that her upcoming shifts had been deleted, essentially firing her. McManus believes that Caines was responsible for her termination.
In September 2020, Mother Jones spoke to employees of various companies who had quit since January 2020. One former Bojangles employee, Keisha Tibbs, shared a story that demonstrated the company's culture of excusing or tacitly endorsing racism. After a group of customers called Tibbs a "Black bitch" and spat in her direction, her unit manager told her to continue working and not to worry about it. The manager even directed the group to the front of the restaurant and allowed them to have whatever they wanted. Tibbs quit her job after this incident, and she claims that several other employees also left in the days following.
In December 2023, Bojangles settled a lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging sexual harassment and retaliation against an employee who reported the incidents. The company agreed to pay $20,000 to the employee and implement training on consent, sexual harassment, and retaliation in select restaurant locations. As part of the settlement, Bojangles also agreed not to rehire the manager who committed the harassment.
Melinda C. Dugas, a regional attorney for the Charlotte District, emphasized the importance of creating a workplace free from sexual harassment. "Employees have a right to be free from sexual harassment in the workplace," Dugas stated. "Employers cannot tolerate such conduct or allow managers to retaliate against employees for reporting the harassment."
This news comes at a time when T-Pain, a popular musician, has recently removed his name from country songs due to the racism he has experienced in the industry. The issue of racism in the workplace, particularly in the fast-food industry, must be addressed and eradicated to create a safe and equitable work environment for all employees.
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