Allegations of Racism, Discrimination in Texas Parks Department
Racism and discrimination allegations are troubling the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which has spent $100,000 on reports that have so far found employees lamenting "a legacy of intolerance" and is now faced with a second federal complaint from a black game warden-in-training.
Only 1 percent of game wardens in the 50-year history of Texas' parks agency have been black. State officials acknowledge enduring failures with recruiting minorities, but a lawsuit and concern from black Texas lawmakers has quietly escalated the issue in recent months from elusive diversity to accusations of racial bias.
Brukendra Jackson, 26, alleges she was mistreated earlier this year as one of only two black cadets in a complaint filed Wednesday with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. That federal agency also granted a white game warden, John Rao Jr., permission to file a federal lawsuit in April that claims supervisors instructed him to "distance himself" from a black colleague.
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TPWD spokeswoman Lydia Saldana said the broader issue of minority hiring is a "business imperative" for the state parks system and highlighted recent strides, including a diverse class of 11 summer interns in the law enforcement division. Five are black and two are Hispanic, and the agency has also launched a diversity task force and put new emphasis on minority promotion.
More at http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Allegations-of-Racism-Discrimination-in-Texas-Parks-Department-210388741.html .
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