A Message to the Management

To the managers:

There is nothing more foolish than racial discrimination...especially within the workplace. After all, we are all human beings. Underneath our skin lies bones and muscle working together to form a framework for beating hearts. In our society, we consider the heart the very centre of our emotions. And my emotions are boiling right now.

Originally it was my intent to finish out my two weeks notice with JCPenney's, but it has come to my attention that I have been discriminated against because of race. Not my own race, but that of the person most dear to me.

I have witnessed time and time again within this store discrimination and in poor taste...I held my tongue through much of it. I kept my mouth closed when a manager referred to one of the girls under my supervision as “that dyke.” I held my tongue when certain employees and managers made my Hispanic fitting room attendants feel like they were “cleaning ladies.”

But then it was brought to my attention that management was making comments regarding the interracial nature of my relationship with my significant other. Faces were made behind my back, groans and comments like, “How weird is that” came out of the mouths of people that I respected and thought better of.

I should have known better, having heard tales from certain managers of tricking Hispanic customers into signing up for credit cards or watched as people expected me to translate the rough English of one of my fitting room attendants without trying to understand.

A few months ago, I started hearing comments claiming that I am “a bum” or that I don't “do any work.” There can be no question of my work ethic. When I came to JCP I was tasked with revitalizing a failed recovery program. With my small team, that recovery team was made a success. And when I first started working with the fitting room associates, our scores were abysmal...we brought them to above company standards.

With the time that I have been here I have learned many functions of the store. I
can fill in for pricing, shipment, re-ticketing, cashiers, fitting rooms, markdowns, training, visuals, etc. With only a few minutes of training, I can do anything and I will do it well.

When I was informed of the reaction to my significant other, I came to the realization that the attacks on my character and on my work ethic started when my partner started taking me to lunch on the weekends. And I will not have this. I kept quiet before—a mistake that I regret—but no more.

My character can be attacked and yes, it will bother me. But I remember the words of my mother to me when I was a child, “Remember who you are.” I know who I am and I know that my record has stood above the rest at every single school and at every single place that I have worked.

In the grand scheme of things, it does not matter if I am called a bum, because the record shows otherwise. But I will not stand for discrimination against my partner and I. He is a better person than I am. He feels sorry for you in your ignorance. But I can't feel sorry for you.

I will not be coming back to JCPenney's after today, the 28th of February 2011 to work or to shop. And you can be sure that you have lost the business of my family, his family, and any of the number of people who have showed such loyalty to us.

Now I'm asking you to remember who you are...human beings. There is no hierarchy for race, sexual orientation, religion or lack thereof. Acting as though there is a difference makes a person less than human.