The Rock Fossil And Dinosaur Shop
213 Greenfield Rd
South Deerfield, MA 01373
I visited this shop on Saturday, October 20th at approximately 5:30 p.m. I am a sixty-one year old black female. When I asked a question I was referred to as “girl”. Which is a term used in disrespect to the Negro female in the post-slavery period. When I informed the worker that the reference was disrespectful the worked referred to me as a “dog” and patted his thigh, like you would call a dog, to have me join him on the other side of the counter.
When my husband entered the established and suggested that the worker owed me an apology the worker flat out refused.
Your situation is very sad. That in today's society, people are that rude and refuse to refrain from their rudeness even when confronted. The tension arises as to whether the clerk was merely rude but is rude to everyone or whether he intended to be rude to you because of your color. If the second is true, then there is a civil rights violation assuming that the shop participates in interstate commerce. The next question is whether there are sufficient damages to justify your time and energy in pursuing it. I don't know what the answer is to that question.
Was the worker the owner? Have you addressed your concern to the owner and given him the opportunity to correct the worker?
Massachusetts law provides:
Public Establishments
Discrimination is prohibited based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, handicap (disability), or sexual orientation at places of public accommodation in Massachusetts, such as:
hotels or other places of lodging
restaurants or bars
theatres, sports stadiums, or other places of entertainment
stores or other retail establishments
service establishments, such as Laundromats, gas stations, lawyers or accountants
hospitals, medical and dental offices, and other health care facilities
transportation providers or stations
museums, libraries, or other places of public display
parks, gyms, beaches, or other places of recreation
schools, colleges, and other educational institutions
child care centers, senior citizen centers, and other social service establishments
public streets and highways
public spaces such as court rooms and polling places
The decision about what to do next is up to you.
It sounds like discrimination either based on gender or race. I would either start by consulting with an attorney who handles a lot of discrimination cases, or just submit a complaint at MCAD directly in Boston (they handle these on a walk-in basis and will help you draft the complaint).
One thing that's likely to happen is that the worker will simply deny that the incident occurred. Here whatever your husband witnessed is going to be crucial. Unfortunately, you have to be prepared that all that may realistically happen in the end is that the establishment and/or this worker are scared so much of future discrimination claims that they mend their ways.
I don't think you should let this pass without some sort of action, and I wish you the best of luck.
