24 Sep 2007 0912H

Filipino American Harassed by H&M Employee

(Chicago, IL) - Asian American Institute filed a discrimination complaint with the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations, seeking redress for Frannie Richards, a Filipino American nurse who suffered anti-Asian and sex-based harassment at the Magnificent Mile H&M department store. The harassment included “mail-order bride” comments, ridicule concerning Ms. Richards’ ability to understand English, as well as mocking “ching, ching, chang” noises by an H&M employee.

“Anti-Asian, xenophobic, and misogynist verbal attacks still happen on a daily basis,” said Asian American Institute Legal Director Myron Dean Quon. “Asian American women, like Ms. Richards, should never have to deal with this type of harassment, in Chicago no less.”

This past September, when Ms. Richards entered H&M to go shopping for clothes, she had no idea that she would be the victim of a hostile and threatening environment. “As a registered nurse and retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt., I knew that I had to enforce my civil rights, for myself and other Asian American women. Because H&M refused to discipline this employee, I immediately thought of my own female relatives and friends. The workplace usage of disparaging anti-Asian slurs should require the termination of that H&M employee.”

Quon noted that Asian Americans should be able to visit retail establishments and other businesses without having to endure a humiliating and offensive environment. Asian American Institute will represent Ms. Richards based her claim that H&M violated the City’s Human Rights Ordinance, when the employee harassed Ms. Richards and also when in it refused her request to file a formal complaint. Chicago’s anti-discrimination ordinances guard against discrimination, including anti-Asian and sex-based discrimination, when the discriminatory incident takes place in Chicago and involves employment, housing, public accommodations, credit, or bonding.

Myron Dean Quon is the attorney on Richards v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz, Case #07-P-100.

# # #

The Asian American Institute (www.aaichicago.org) is the region’s pan-Asian nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the Asian Pacific American community through advocacy, by utilizing research, education, and coalition-building.

September 24, 2007
Contact: Myron Dean Quon, Esq.
AAI Legal Director
Cell: 773-865-6742
Work: 773-271-0899
myron@aaichicago.org

———
Notes: SFU, as I am calling this new acronym (simply f*cked up) doesn’t even begin to describe the craziness of the situation. I mean, this is the 21st freakin century, but, you know, Chicago is a city where a guy fishing at Montrose Harbor can be harassed and even drowned by skinheads looking to pick fights with Asians — hell, even when we sent kids to represent in the Bud Billiken Parade a few years back, they got racially harassed by black people — so, what does that tell you about our crazy, segregated city, except, we must fight for our own because no one else will? We have to send people a message, because they are not responsive. In fact it is worse than being not responsive, since it is an employee they refuse to discipline, it is tantamount to tacit endorsement of racial harassment as a corporate policy of H&M. Which, if this is indeed the case, only adds to their spectacular corporate ethics record.
——–
Postscript: With the protest last week, seems the situation is likely headed towards a settlement. But what does this really prove really? It’s not an acknowledgement of wrongdoing or apology, which the company needs to fess up to. Financial restitution doesn’t cut it. They should pay towards some kind of public education campaign, maybe towards GABRIELA or a similar network, that way, it’s a win-win situation.

Permanent link to Filipino American Harassed by H&M Employee

Filed under Chicago Stuff

Be the first to respond to "Filipino American Harassed by H&M Employee"

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

No responses yet.

And now it's your turn.

Fire your weapon, soldier. Just be careful of friendly fire. NAME & EMAIL required.

You must be logged in to post a comment.