A former Sedgwick County, Kansas employee alleges in a lawsuit that his coworkers called him the “colored guy” and sang spirituals from the slavery era while he worked as a bridge crewman.
David Partridge, who is described in court documents as a biracial Black man, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Sedgwick County commissioners, The Wichita Eagle reported.
The case was originally filed in October in Sedgwick County Court but has been moved to federal court.
Sedgwick County officials declined to comment on the lawsuit, The Eagle reported.
Partridge alleges in the lawsuit that he encountered a racially hostile work environment while working for the county from December 2019 to August 2021.
After Partridge complained, a county investigation verified the racial discrimination and Partridge was told he would not have to return to that work crew, according to the lawsuit.
Partridge had applied for a different position but was denied and he was offered another position within the county at a lower salary.
The lawsuit said he was fired because he refused to return to the original work crew and did not want to take a pay cut.
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