A trio of Tennesseans who applied to work at the Tennessee Aquarium were turned down because they were white, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
Timothy Shawn Gunn and Marni Renee Pearce, both of Hamilton County along with Zachary Chance Taylor of Catoosa County, are suing the aquarium for discrimination.
All three applicants, who are white, applied for the Community Engagement Educator position in 2021.
But according to the job description, the aquarium was specifically seeking minority-only applicants.
“Applicants must be of minority group that would include but is not limited to: African American or Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian American or Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, and applicants who consider themselves to be of more than one race,” according to the lawsuit.
The applicants allege that that disclosure was not removed from the aquarium’s website until after the role was filled.
The aquarium denies that allegation.
In August of 2021, WDEF reached out to the aquarium regarding the matter.
“The Tennessee Aquarium is an inclusive environment. We have updated the posting in question and realize it appeared to focus on minorities rather than include minorities,” the business said at the time. “We want our education and all departments to reflect our entire community. We will always select the best candidate for the position.”
The lawsuit also says that the role was filled by an African American candidate.
The plaintiffs are asking for court relief by way of compensation for lost wages, along with “emotional distress, humiliation, mental anguish, embarrassment, pain and suffering and other non-pecuniary losses.”
They are also requesting a jury trial.
The Tennessee Star reached out to two experts on the matter of racism, both professors in the state.
Dr. Shaneda Destine works at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville as a sociology professor. According to her biography on the school’s website, Destine’s interest areas include “Race, Class, and Gender; Black Social Movements; Intersectionality; Critical Race and Political Economy.”
The Star asked whether Destine thought it was possible to racially discriminate against white Americans, given the prevailing sentiment that such discrimination is impossible.
Destine did not return The Star’s comment request.
A counterpart of hers at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Chazere Warren, who teaches African American and Diaspora Studies at the private school, refused to comment.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Tennessee Aquarium” by Tennessee Aquarium.
