A Taft man contacted 17News and said he plans to sue Kern County for racial discrimination. The African American man says he had a great career and a solid track record with the county until Barack Obama ran for president.
Elijah Joshua says he was the only African American man working at the county's mental health building in Taft during the election. Joshua says he was promoted twice as a drug counselor in a three year period and then one month after President Obama was elected, he says he was demoted.
“When I went into the office, I just felt the karma of the office. That it was a place I was supposed to be. It was my destiny and I knew I was going to work there. I knew I was going to get the job,” Joshua said of the day he interviewed for a position as a substance abuse counselor with the county.
Joshua, a former drug addict, says he put his heart into his job and the letters of recommendation, reviews, and certificates to prove it. But about 2 and half years later, Barack Obama ran for president.
“Here was a man that the common man could believe in. So we had gone to a rally here in Bakersfield and I had got one of these shirts,” Joshua said.
Joshua says he wore the shirt to work and that's when the comments and weird stares began. Before the election, Joshua says all of his reviews showed his performance was standard or above standard. Then about one month after the election, Joshua says he was demoted and his supervisor handed him a review stating he needed to improve in at least 4 different areas. He says no one brought up the concerns before demoting him.
“Racism. It can't ne nothing else. They had no ground to do what they did to me,” Joshua said.
17 News went to the mental health building in Bakersfield to get the county's side of the story and find out if there are any other reason Joshua was demoted. But Director Jim Waterman said he could not talk about personnel issues. We explained Elijah Joshua was outside and would allow him to discuss the issue, but Waterman said he still could not go on camera.
If you feel like you are the target of any type of discrimination at work, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says you should report it to your company, document what you experience, and file a complaint with the employment commission. The E.E.O.C says you are legally protected from being punished or fired for contacting them:
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
1-800-669-4000 or www.eeoc.gov
As for Joshua, he says he has resigned and plans to sue the county.
