She Took Her Employer to Court Because Her Office Nameplate Didn't Have Her Title

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In a case whose pettiness shocked British academia, a black British lecturer has sued her employer for racial discrimination because the University failed to include her academic “Dr” title on her office door nameplate. Moreover, the jilted academic, originally from Guyana, made claims of racism, including her payslips not being put in her pigeonhole.

In addition to that, Dr. Christabelle Peters, who is a lecturer in American cultural and political history, made further claims of racism, such as her office furniture were timely not delivered, unlike her white colleagues whose payslips, furniture, and nameplates were all adequately dealt with by Bristol University.

Although Black academics in the UK often complain about institutional racism that, when investigated, were found to be accurate, they grossly differ from Dr. Christabelle Peter’s claims as those grievances addressed serious issues such as black academics not getting promotions, unlike their less qualified white academics and research grants getting turned down because they are black.

Institutional racism towards British academics is so bad that the United Kingdom has only one black professor of Chemistry. Even though he is a senior academic, he has faced and fought racism throughout his entire academic career. A report published by the British government’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) titled Tackling Racial Harassment in Higher Education found that universities failed to address thousands of racist incidents at UK universities yearly.

However, Dr. Christabelle’s issues were far from those institutional racism her black colleagues faced. Instead, hers was about letters being put in pigeonholes or nameplates not carrying her academic title, which failed to convince the tribunal. Besides, while representing herself, Dr. Christabelle made other serious claims, such as race discrimination, disability discrimination, victimization, and racial harassment.

Nevertheless, Dr. Christabelle explained to the tribunal that she ended up paying for chairs and coffee tables she ordered for her students after they were delayed. Furthermore, she explained that not only was her title included on her office nameplate, but she also lost her payslips several times because they were not put in the pigeonhole.

Unfortunately, Dr. Christabelle Peters lost all her claims against her employer. However, the tribunal also found that the University handled it in a manner that race didn’t factor in as they considered the best way to get her back to work a few years prior when she suffered a stroke.

The tribunal dismissed all of Dr. Christabelle’s claims against the university. A spokesman for the University of Bristol who spoke to reporters about the verdict said, “We are pleased the judge dismissed all claims made against us, finding no evidence of discrimination. This has been an incredibly challenging period for everyone involved, particularly the witnesses who have been offered our full and ongoing support.”