(CNN) — The recording sounds like something from Jim Crow days: a white supervisor threatening to hang an African-American employee for drinking water from a “white people” fountain.
But it’s 2014, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Untonia Harris, who worked at Atkinson Cotton Warehouse, said he used his phone to record his supervisor after feeling discriminated against for months.
In the audio, Harris asks if he could use a microwave.
Ex-worker: Supervisor said he’d hang me
“Hell no!” a man he describes as the supervisor responds.
When he asks why, the purported voice from the supervisor says it’s because Harris is not white.
In another attempt to use the water fountain, the supervisor has the same reaction.
“I need to put a sign here that says, ‘White people only,’” the voice says.
Harris asks what will happen if he is caught drinking from the fountain.
The voice replies, “That’s when we hang you.”
There were other instances, with other co-workers, according to Harris.
“Telling me, ‘Black man, don’t get on this white man’s lift,’” Harris told CNN affiliate WREG.
Another African-American employee, Marrio Mangrum, said he was subjected to racism, too.
“He would be like, ‘You need to think like a white man,’” Mangrum told the affiliate.
Mangrum filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January. In it, he said the discrimination occurred between August 2013 and January. He was laid off from his driving job on January 21 and filed the complaint nine days later.
In the audio, the supervisor expresses support for the Jim Crow era between the 1880s and 1960s, when racial segregation and discrimination were enforced in various states.
“Back then, nobody thought anything about it,” the supervisor says in the audio. “Now, everybody is made to … think it’s bad.”
The owner of the cotton company, E.W. Atkinson, said he was stunned by the recording.
“It’s crazy that anybody would think to talk like that nowadays,” he told CNN’s Victor Blackwell. “It makes no sense whatsoever. You can’t even comprehend it.”
Atkinson told Blackwell that 90% of the warehouse’s employees are black, and that he was unaware of any racism.
“If I heard it, I would have stopped it immediately,” he said.
He said his management staff is outsourced to Federal Compress, which hired the supervisor.
In a statement to CNN, Federal Compress said it has a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination, and the supervisor was fired after an investigation.
“Federal Compress very much regrets that the allegations were not reported to it when the first incident is claimed to have occurred,” it said.
Harris was also laid off in January.
via Supervisor to black worker: Stay away from ‘whites only’ fountain – CNN.com.
Racism is alive and well at Wingspan Portfolio Advisors. My coworker was called a "nigger" by Manager Justin Belter and blacks were referred to as "roaches" by manager Melanie Pellegrino. These statements were made out loud and clearly very discernible. Black employees were disclipined and fired for offenses and behaviors white employees were allowed to have while recieving no discipline. White employees were hired straight on with the company while blacks were outsourced through temp agencies. Black employees were routinely threatened by Justin Belter whereas white employees were not. Black employees had breaks and lunches "assigned" by management whereas white employees did not. Black employees were paid less than lower qualified white associates and were promoted less often than lower qualified white associates.
The most degrading act was when the white management started to follow black employees to the restroom because of "supposed" complaints from older white women in the building who took issue with the number of blacks hired, that blacks were "Damaging the restrooms" so we had to have an escort. That was EVP Jason Dickard's "grand idea".
Soon after Wingspan Portfolio Advisors "Fired" most of the blacks (who worked like mules to keep the job) and hired primarily young, white workers.
Racism is alive and well at Wingspan Portfolio Advisors. My coworker was called a "nigger" by Manager Justin Belter and blacks were referred to as "roaches" by manager Melanie Pellegrino. These statements were made out loud and clearly very discernible. Black employees were disclipined and fired for offenses and behaviors white employees were allowed to have while recieving no discipline. White employees were hired straight on with the company while blacks were outsourced through temp agencies. Black employees were routinely threatened by Justin Belter whereas white employees were not. Black employees had breaks and lunches "assigned" by management whereas white employees did not. Black employees were paid less than lower qualified white associates and were promoted less often than lower qualified white associates.
The most degrading act was when the white management started to follow black employees to the restroom because of "supposed" complaints from older white women in the building who took issue with the number of blacks hired, that blacks were "Damaging the restrooms" so we had to have an escort. That was EVP Jason Dickard's "grand idea".
Soon after Wingspan Portfolio Advisors "Fired" most of the blacks (who worked like mules to keep the job) and hired primarily young, white workers.
