A trio of Tennesseans who applied to work at the Tennessee Aquarium were turned down because they were white, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
Timothy Shawn Gunn and Marni Renee Pearce, both of Hamilton County along with Zachary Chance Taylor of Catoosa County, are suing the aquarium for discrimination.
All three applicants, who are white, applied for the Community Engagement Educator position in 2021.
But according to the job description, the aquarium was specifically seeking minority-only applicants.
“Applicants must be of minority group that would include but is not limited to: African American or Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian American or Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, and applicants who consider themselves to be of more than one race,” according to the lawsuit.
The applicants allege that that disclosure was not removed from the aquarium’s website until after the role was filled.
The aquarium denies that allegation.
In August of 2021, WDEF reached out to the aquarium regarding the matter.
“The Tennessee Aquarium is an inclusive environment. We have updated the posting in question and realize it appeared to focus on minorities rather than include minorities,” the business said at the time. “We want our education and all departments to reflect our entire community. We will always select the best candidate for the position.”
The lawsuit also says that the role was filled by an African American candidate.
The plaintiffs are asking for court relief by way of compensation for lost wages, along with “emotional distress, humiliation, mental anguish, embarrassment, pain and suffering and other non-pecuniary losses.”
They are also requesting a jury trial.
The Tennessee Star reached out to two experts on the matter of racism, both professors in the state.
Dr. Shaneda Destine works at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville as a sociology professor. According to her biography on the school’s website, Destine’s interest areas include “Race, Class, and Gender; Black Social Movements; Intersectionality; Critical Race and Political Economy.”
The Star asked whether Destine thought it was possible to racially discriminate against white Americans, given the prevailing sentiment that such discrimination is impossible.
Destine did not return The Star’s comment request.
A counterpart of hers at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Chazere Warren, who teaches African American and Diaspora Studies at the private school, refused to comment.
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Tennessee Aquarium” by Tennessee Aquarium.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen….suing their ass off is the best and fastest way to get their attention., although if a lot of regular donors started withholding their contributions, I imagine they might notice.
Reaching out for comments to anyone teaching students to use the racist color judgments supporting the “study” of a few different degrees of melanin, as the non-existent limited origins of a few different kinds of non-existent human action assigned to one-size- fits-all non-existent races, instead of the existing origin of all human action, regardless of color differences, which is individual minds of existing individuals choosing how to act in visibly existing unlimited different ways seems pointless, when looking for intelligence.
It’s not rocket science to use your eyes to see whether what exists, contradicts any propaganda that something else exists, instead. For example only with your eyes can you confirm the consequences of a Supreme Court bigot majority that lied and said universities should include and exclude candidates, for no reason other than 18yr olds are one color instead of another, ensuring no racist favorable/discriminatory quotas would be necessary to obey. Instead racist color judgments supported by racists taught to make them are STILL the law of the land, abeit the hate is aimed at whites this year.
When professors won’t comment that says it all!! LOL
DEI in hiring practices must be outlawed by the state legislators. It is discrimination.
This is true equity as promoted by the left, what is guaranteed is the outcome. This is also racist. Just imagine the woke response if the employer advertised a preference for white applicants.