Black lecturer who sued Bristol University for race discrimination loses tribunal claim
Black lecturer who sued Bristol University for racial discrimination because her ‘Dr’ title was not on the nameplate on her door loses lawsuit
- Dr. Christabelle Peters accused the University of Bristol of racial discrimination
- She lost the case to the tribunal, which learned that her name tag did not say “Dr.”
A black college professor sued the faculty for racial discrimination because her name tag on her door did not include her “Dr” title.
Among a series of alleged ‘micro-aggressions’, Dr Christabelle Peters complained that her academic title was not on the plaque, unlike her white colleagues at the University of Bristol.
The American cultural and political history teacher made a series of other accusations of racism, including that her office furniture had not been delivered and that her paychecks had not been filed in her cubicle.
Dr. Peters also complained that an associate professor told her that “nobody cares about Africa” when she presented a research idea about the continent, a tribunal heard.
The academic suffered a stroke while in Portugal and claimed that the university treated her badly, it was also heard.
Dr. Christabelle Peters accused the University of Bristol of racial discrimination at the tribunal
The teacher, a black Briton of Guyanese descent, has lost all her claims in an employment tribunal.
At the week-long hearing in Bristol, in which Dr Peters represented herself, she filed complaints of racial discrimination, harassment based on race, victimization and discrimination based on disability.
The tribunal heard that Dr Peters joined the university in September 2016 and placed an order for extra chairs and a coffee table so she could meet students, but it was delayed and she had to pay for it.
She also complained that her title was not on the nameplate on her door and in 2017 her pay slips were missing three times.
Dr. Christabelle Peters complained that her plaque did not show her academic title, unlike her white colleagues at the University of Bristol (pictured)
Dr. Peters said she was subject to “micro-aggressions,” but the university said they were simple mistakes and the tribunal ruled in their favour.
The tribunal ruled that the nameplates issue was an ‘administrator error’, that another teacher had the same problem and that the nameplates were often made by young staff who don’t even know what they look like.
The tribunal heard in September 2018, when Dr Peters applied for a research project on Africa, a senior lecturer told her ‘nobody cares about Africa’.
The comment had a ‘clear effect’ on Dr Peters and she felt ‘depressed’ by it and the teacher who made the comment was ‘distressed that it had upset her’, the tribunal heard.
The tribunal ruled that the university’s handling of the incident was not motivated by race.
After Dr Peters suffered a stroke in December 2019 and stopped working, she claimed bosses were urging her to retire and that this was racist.
However, the tribunal panel found that the university was also considering how to get her back to work if she was fit and competent.
Dr. Peters, who finally resigned in January this year, lost all her claims.