Pearl Thomas, who worked at Amazon as an HR business partner for less than one year before she sued the e-commerce giant in May, alleges she faced racial discrimination and retaliation. Four other women of color who worked at Amazon also describe encountering direct racism, such as a manager calling them the n-word, and systemic racism where they alleged people of color were promoted at lower rates and were subjected to more firings.
“Her position in the Company’s HR organization has given her a prime vantagepoint regarding both systemic discrimination and conscious animus towards Black employees at Amazon, along with the Company’s practices regarding diversity, employee complaints, and the use of performance management to retaliate against Black and other employees who raise concerns,” Thomas’ lawyers note in her suit.
Amazon told Recode in May that it was “conducting thorough investigations,” but that it had “found no evidence to support the allegations.”