Vancouver juice bar discriminated against 13-year-old Black girl, Human Rights Tribunal finds
Posted September 27, 2023 12:49 pm.
Last Updated September 27, 2023 12:50 pm.
The BC Human Rights Tribunal has found a former Vancouver juice bar, that has since closed, discriminated against a 13-year-old Black girl by accusing her of being a “thief” after cash register shortages during one shift.
The tribunal has awarded the teenager over $27,000 after she was “subject to discrimination at work based on her race and sex” while she worked at Heirloom Juice Bar in September 2019.
The teen — referred to as “AB” in the tribunal decision — alleged that her direct manager accused her of theft, demoted her, and was “overly harsh towards her because she is a Black girl.”
Ultimately Tribunal Member Amber Prince confirmed the complainant’s experience, including being singled out among her co-workers, and being refused a reference letter due to her “attitude” and not following rules.
Referencing precedents, Prince goes on to say that while the teen’s direct manager may not have intended to discriminate against her due to her race or sex, “Discrimination is rarely announced, and in many cases, it is not practiced in an obvious or overt way.
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“It is often the case that discrimination takes the form of subtle, and even unconscious, beliefs, biases, prejudices, and stereotypes.”
Prince says human rights law recognizes that anti-Black stereotypes and stereotypes that apply to Black girls and children “may manifest as a Black person being singled out for heightened scrutiny, suspicion, or
disproportionately harsh treatment.”
Prince explains while there’s nothing “inherently discriminatory” about a manager asking an employee about a cash shortage, the teen’s manager was unable to explain why he only spoke to the 13-year-old and not any other employees who were working the same shift.
“I also find that Mr. Stone’s refusal to provide AB with a reference letter was tainted with stereotypes about Black girls and women,” Prince said, citing the manager’s descriptions of the teenager as “having an attitude that needs to improve, being rude, acting distant, and seeming troubled.”
The tribunal awarded the teenager $25,000 as compensation for “injury to her dignity, feelings and self-respect,” while awarding a further $2,500 for lost wages and expenses.
