#Fired administrator claims Oregon college stereotyped her as ‘angry black woman’

A former administrator at an Oregon university was fired after being stereotyped as an “angry black woman,” a lawsuit alleges.

Rhonda Foster, who was hired in November 2018 by Oregon Health & Science University as the interim chief nursing officer at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, claims she suffered a pattern of racial discrimination after taking the job, leading to her firing just three weeks later, The Oregonian reports.

In an 18-page lawsuit filed Tuesday, Foster, who was recruited from California, claims a white supervisor told her as they ate lunch that she should “straighten her hair” when interviewing for the permanent position.

“Plaintiff typically wears her hair naturally curly,” the lawsuit states, adding that Foster expressed her “disdain” for the discriminatory comment by excusing herself from eating with her supervisor, identified in the lawsuit as Mary Beth Martin, who is white.

Foster later told the same supervisor she was starting to look for permanent housing near Portland and said she was considering the Lake Oswego area, the lawsuit claims.

“In response, Ms. Martin questioned whether plaintiff could afford the cost of living there, and asked whether it was the ‘right place’ for plaintiff,” the lawsuit continues. “Lake Oswego has a reputation of being hostile and unwelcoming to black people.”

Martin then accused Foster of making another employee — a white woman – cry during a discussion about patient health and safety at the facility, telling her during a meeting that she didn’t “know how to talk to people” despite being an international consultant, the lawsuit claims.

“In essence, Ms. Martin was relating what she and other employees perceived to be the stereotypical ‘angry black woman,’” according to the lawsuit, which seeks damages of more than $110,000. “Plaintiff was merely doing her job in communicating directly with leadership and staff about the patient safety shortcomings of their departments.”

Later that same day, OHSU contacted an employment placement agency that specializes in hospitals and medical facilities to terminate Foster, her lawsuit claims.

A spokeswoman for OHSU declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing employee confidentiality, The Oregonian reports.

But the university “takes seriously and investigates all allegations” of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, spokeswoman Tamara Hargens-Bradley told the newspaper.

In addition to OHSU, Foster’s lawsuit also named Martin, First String Healthcare and its parent company, AMN Healthcare, as defendants.

A spokesman for AMN Healthcare also declined to comment on the filing when reached by The Oregonian, citing pending litigation.