Black employees allege racial bias in hiring, promotions at California prisons

Inspired by a similar complaint at a state’s air pollution agency, a group of Black employees is airing complaints of racial discrimination at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

A group calling itself the Coalition of Black Employees in a letter shared with The Sacramento Bee and other media said Blacks are passed over for promotions at state prisons and face other indignities on the job.

The group said the department hasn’t hired any Black employees since 2018, but hiring data provided by the corrections department shows it has hired 1,584 Black people since Oct. 1, 2018. California Correctional Health Care Services has hired 1,015 Black people, according to the data. The department is the largest employer in California state government with some 57,000 workers.

“Black employees who have experience and higher education are marginalized and underutilized,” the group wrote. “Black excellence and intelligence is not valued or welcomed. CDCR does not value Black advancement.”

According to the letter, Blacks make up 10% of the agency’s workforce, “and the vast majority of those employees are in lower classifications within the agency.” The group is pressing the agency to hire and promote more Blacks.

The group circulated the letter after seeing media reports about a similar statement written by Black employees of the California Air Resources Board. The air board’s employees sent their letter to agency management, which responded by forwarding it to staff and making a public pledge to improve diversity.

The corrections employees met with state leadership in September but felt like their concerns weren’t being heard. The letter shared with news organizations carries some of the same language as the Air Resources Board employees’ letter.

“We met with the CDCR executive staff, unfortunately we encountered the pervasive culture of dismissiveness,” said two Black employees, Sharonya “Reene” Dorsey and Sebrena G. Lindsay, in an email to The Bee. “As a result of the on-going resistance to effect change we have no other choice but to reach outside our agency to advocate for the community of Black employees.”

Corrections department spokeswoman Dana Simas said the department has invited the group to participate in a local cohort of a national initiative to achieve racial equity in government, called the Government Alliance of Race and Equity. The group so far hasn’t participated, Simas said said in the email.

“The department remains fully committed to addressing issues of race and equity in our operations, programs, policies and practices,” she said in the email.

This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Black employees allege racial bias in hiring, promotions at California prisons."