A Black Penn State Professor Is Suing the University for Racial Discrimination and a Hostile Work Environment
Black Penn State political science professor Errol A. Henderson filed a lawsuit against the university in U.S. Middle District Court on Wednesday for discrimination and a hostile work environment based on race following colleague complaints after Henderson published an op-ed in The Daily Collegian in January 2019.
Henderson is seeking damages and legal equitable relief in connection with the university’s “improper conduct” by declaring acts he experienced in violation of Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act, which claims intentional racial discrimination. Henderson is also demanding $75,000 and will be legally represented by Stephen G. Console of Console Mattiacci Law in Philadelphia.
According to the lawsuit, he has filed formal complaints against the university due to an alleged “racially hostile work environment” for the past 10 years. Specifically, Henderson has reported “unprofessional and biased behavior of his white colleagues” to the political science department head, Lee Ann Banaszak, since 2014, the lawsuit said.
