Tech giant Google is once more under fire for worker discrimination after one of its former employees filed a lawsuit last Friday within the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that business “has a ‘pattern and practice’ of treating its black employees unfairly. Suit [also] “alleges that the corporate has placed them in junior, lower-paying positions and exposed them to a hostile work environment in the event that they speak out.”

The criticism states that “Consistent with its intensely racist corporate culture, Google has a pattern and practice of racially discriminating against its African American and Black employees… Google’s centralized leadership, which is almost devoid of Black representation, has biased and stereotypical views about the skills and potential of Black professionals.”

The lawsuit alleged that April Curley, black woman, “was hired in an entry-level position” despite the fact that she had five years of experience and a master’s degree. After six years with the corporate and despite high performance rates, Curley was wrongfully terminated in September 2020. At Curley’s words“I felt the need to speak out about the racist behaviors, policies and practices that are deeply rooted in the problematic layers of Google’s diversity recruiting efforts and treatment of Black Google employees.”

Another former Google worker, Chloe Sledd, also a black woman, said:[m]My first few months at Google weren’t what I had imagined and almost immediately become a nightmare. A white man on my department floor began sexually harassing me.” After being accused of lying, Google’s human resources department rejected and neglected her claims and threatened her with retaliation. There were sleds mainly “Forced to resign. “It was clear to me that they wanted me to back out, but I didn’t realize what my rights were, so they took advantage of that.”

Attorney Ben Crump he said“Google says its No. 1 core value is working with great people… When you consider the claims of these minorities and look at the data, you can conclude that Google apparently believes that great people are white people. In the process, we announce to Google that Black and brown people are great people too.”

Stomp added“April Curley was an exceptional worker at Google. She was hired for a position well below her qualifications and consistently illegally omitted for promotions… Although Google claims it was committed to increasing diversity, it actually undervalued, underpaid, and mistreated its black employees, resulting in high turnover. “We will not stop until we bring justice to Curley and other Black Google employees and until we see real change in the culture of this company… Google is a Fortune 10 company and with this lawsuit we are telling Google that it is not about profits, it is also about people.”

The lawsuit seeks to acquire class-action status and, as well as, demand that these employees be reinstated existence “they admitted the value of compensation and benefits that they have lost and will lose in the future.”

Biotechnology laboratory equipment company Thermo Fisher Scientific has reached a settlement with the estate of Henrietta Lacks, whose descendants “have accused [the company] reaping billions of dollars from a racist medical system.”

Although the terms of the settlement are confidential, Ben Crump, one in every of Lacks’ family attorneys, said: “The parties are pleased to have found a way to resolve this matter out of court and will have no further comment on the settlement.”

The settlement was announced on Tuesday, October 1, during a press conference for what would have been Lacks’ 103^R&D birthday. Renowned civil rights lawyer Crump said, “We did it – and what a birthday present today.”

Lacks’ life story and legacy became widely known after Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” became a best-seller, followed by a 2017 feature film starring Oprah Winfrey on HBO.

When doctors o Johns Hopkins treated Lacks for cervical cancer in 1951, they removed tissue samples from her cervix without her knowledge or consent. “They found that in the lab, instead of dying, cells doubled in size every 20 to 24 hours.” Talk about Black Girl cell magic!

These cells, now generally known as HeLa the cells “were the first human cells that scientists were able to clone and have since been multiplied indefinitely.” Although Lacks died of the disease on the age of 31, her cells survived without end.

Not only were they everlasting, but HeLa cells also became… support “modern medicine, enabling countless scientific and medical innovations, including the development of a polio vaccine, genetic mapping and even vaccines for Covid-19,” in addition to treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease and leukemia. HeLa The cells were also used to “study the effects of radiation on human cells and develop a treatment for sickle cell disease.”

But the worst part was that Lacks’ family had no idea about it. They didn’t find out about their ancestors’ contributions to medicine until many years later and were never compensated.

John Hopkins stated that the institution “has never sold or profited from the discovery or distribution of HeLa cells and has no rights to the HeLa cell line”; nevertheless, “many companies have patented ways to use them.”

IN 2021“The Lacks estate sued Thermo Fisher in federal court in Baltimore… claiming that her family “did not see a penny” of the cash Thermo Fisher made by cultivating a “HeLa” cell line derived from tissue taken without Lacks’ consent during a medical examination. procedures in 1951.”

In their lawsuit, the Lacks Society argued that the treatment of their ancestor was indicative of a bigger problem that also persists today: “racism in the American medical system.”

The criticism reads partly: “The abuse of Henrietta Lacks is unfortunately representative of a universal struggle experienced by Black people throughout history… Too often, the history of medical experimentation in the United States has been a history of medical racism.”

Although Thermo Fisher did argue that the case must be dismissed as a result of the statute of limitations, the Lacks family’s attorneys countered, “That shouldn’t apply because the company continues to profit from the cells.”

Only one in every of Lacks’ children, Lawrence Lacks Sr., is currently living. His son and her grandson Alfred Lacks Carter Jr. were on the news conference. “There could not have been a more appropriate date for her to receive justice and for her family to find some relief,” her grandson said. “It was a long fight – over 70 years – and Henrietta Lacks got her day.”

Last week, Maryland senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin “introduced a bill to posthumously award Lacks the Congressional Gold Medal.” In an announcement, Van Hollen said: “Henrietta Lacks changed the course of modern medicine… It is long past time we recognize her contributions to saving lives around the world.”

As snowstorms swirled under gray April skies, the families of George Floyd, Daunte Wright and other Black individuals who lost their lives in police-involved killings held an emotional news conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and dozens of relatives, activists, community members and media gathered outside the Hennepin County Courthouse on a chilly Tuesday. As family members spoke one after the other, there have been tears, prayers, anger and demands for justice. Remarks were often followed by anguished cries of “Say his name!” and “Black Lives Matter!”

In the third week of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the previous Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death in May 2020, the region was once more rocked by the fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. The incident took place on Sunday, April 11, in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis.

Wright was reportedly stopped by police for a minor traffic violation. During the arrest, bodycam footage showed the boy’s young father being shot as he tried to flee.

“If there was ever a time when police should not kill anyone in America,” it was during one of the “harsh” trials in American history, Crump told the group. He and co-counsel Jeff Storms were retained by Wright’s family.

Katie Wright said her son called when the incident happened and he seemed scared. As she tried to calm him down, she heard shuffling. A friend who was in the automobile with Wright later broke the news to his mother that her son had died by sharing a cellphone photo. “I have not received any explanation since then,” she said.

Police officials have said publicly that Kim Potter, a 26-year law enforcement veteran, tried to achieve for her Taser but by chance fired it as a substitute. She has since resigned from her position, as has, amongst others, chief of the town police.

There have been protests and unrest in Brooklyn Center for several days, where the young black mayor, Mike Elliott, has promised an intensive investigation.

“We are united. We stand in solidarity,” said Toshira Garraway, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, an advocacy group in Minnesota. “Enough is enough and we are getting up,” she said during a press conference.

To show solidarity, Deborah Watts, a relative of Emmett Till, also attended. The gruesome 1955 racially motivated murder of a Chicago teenager in Mississippi isn’t a thing of the past, she added. “We are tired and exhausted by terrorism against our families across the country.”

Jurors this week will now hear from the defense team for Chauvin, who faces charges of second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Floyd, 46, died in police custody on May 25, 2020. The viral cellphone video shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for greater than nine minutes. Floyd, handcuffed and lying on the bottom, said, “I can’t breathe,” and called for his mother as Chauvin, 45, kept his hands in his pockets and didn’t render aid. He pleaded not guilty.

Floyd’s gruesome death sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the country and the world. Crump, together with co-counsel Antonio Romanucci, L. Chris Stewart and Chris Storms, form the legal team for Floyd’s family. In March, they settled a civil lawsuit with the town of Minneapolis for a historic $27 million.

Crump said Wright’s arrest by police throughout the pandemic, when many drivers had their IDs expired as a result of months of limited or no access to DMV vehicles, was an example of implicit bias. He said the difficulty stays particularly glaring for “marginalized” Americans.

“Daunte Wright is yet another young Black man killed at the hands of those who swore an oath to protect and serve all of us – not just the whitest among us,” Crump said in a press release provided to ESSENCE. “As Minneapolis and the rest of the country continue to grapple with the tragic murder of George Floyd, we must now also mourn the loss of this young man and father. This level of lethal force was completely preventable and inhumane.”

From civil rights organizations to the White House, this latest police-involved killing has stirred emotions. Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama said in a press release that that they had “heavy hearts” and that the country must “rethink policing and public safety.”

“Michelle and I join the Wright family in mourning their loss. We empathize with the pain that Black mothers, fathers and children feel after yet another senseless tragedy. We will continue to work with all honest Americans to confront historic inequities and bring about the nationwide change that is so long overdue.”

Karissa Lewis, national field director of the Movement for Black Lives, said in a press release: “Let’s say it again: there is no ‘reform’ of this system – it is time to abandon lethal policing and invest in a public safety vision that protects us all. We mourn with Daunte Wright’s family and community and will continue to fight to move away from systems of oppression in the pursuit of justice and Black liberation.”

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Contractors (NOBLE) released a written statement noting Wright’s fatal traffic stop and the viral video of the incident involving Army 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario.

NOBLE said in part: “Even as police reforms are being implemented in many municipalities, as support for reforms grows, and as our nation finds itself in the center of a trial in the death of George Floyd, with evidence and heartbreaking witness testimony After reviewing the circumstances “His death continues to be an example of excessive use of force, a lack of transparency and understanding of incident-specific policing orders, and another unfortunate loss of life of a citizen of color.”

The statement continued: “When will police leadership and civic leaders stop having to explain the failures of those determined to disregard the principle of “serve and protect?”

As the families of George Floyd, Daunte Wright and countless others seek justice, Crump vowed to fight but lamented the present state of affairs.

“What will it take for law enforcement to stop killing people of color? The growing number of black men and women who have been killed or harmed by police is far too high a price to pay for the equality we seek.”

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