A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit brought by a former NPR network operation technician who alleged that he faced racial discrimination and unfair treatment while employed at the network.
According to Inside Radio, Zandile Mkwanazi’s suit alleged he was subject to discrimination based on his race and a hostile work environment. His suit alleged that he was subject to discrimination based on his race and a hostile work environment.
Mkwanazi was fired in October 2019. He sought back pay and damages from NPR and a court order blocking the network from taking any retaliatory actions against him with future employers.
The lawsuit said, Mkwanazi’s supervisor, who was white, introduced him to coworkers as “a new boy working for us” and repeatedly used the term “boy.” Mkwanazi said he found the term racially offensive even though his supervisor referred to all employees as “boys.”
“The parties participated in mediation, and they have reached a resolution in principle,” attorneys said in a statement. Mkwanazi was seeking unspecified damages for lost wages as well as compensatory and punitive damages.
