AAUW Dialog

Bari-Ellen Roberts

AAUW has an extensive library that includes books about women’s issues. A few weeks ago when I visited it, I found Roberts vs. Texaco: A True Story of Race and Corporate America by Bari-Ellen Roberts (with Jack E. White), which details the case Roberts v. Texaco. It sounded familiar to me, so I took it back to my office. I realized the case seemed familiar because Roberts had been recognized—and rightfully so—at the 2003 AAUW convention for her determination to seek equity in the workplace for everyone. Since I enjoy reading about women who have made a difference, I decided to read it.

In Roberts vs. Texaco, Roberts details her life story and describes how from a young age she experienced subtle and blatant racial—and sometimes gender—discrimination. A lesson she learned early on was that she had to be better than her white peers to be taken seriously and to make the same gains. Consequently, she worked tirelessly in school and at work.

In 1994, after Roberts had worked at Texaco for a few years as a senior financial analyst, she received high enough marks in her annual review that she was told she likely would be promoted. Instead, her supervisor came back to her a few days later with a lowered score. When Roberts demanded to know why, her supervisor confided that upper management changed the score because they thought Roberts was too “uppity.” She would not be promoted.

While Roberts had faced racially inappropriate remarks and attitudes at Texaco before, this time the racial discrimination directly affected her career. She was stunned and overcome with grief, and her teenage daughter, who was shocked when she heard about the racism, encouraged her mother to “fight it.” And so Roberts did.

In March 1994, Roberts became the lead plaintiff in the largest discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history. With her co-plaintiffs and legal team, she uncovered evidence that African Americans at all levels of the Texaco corporate chain were routinely paid less than their white counterparts and overlooked for promotions. In addition, at times they faced blatant hostility from white coworkers.

While lawsuits often can drag on for years, thanks to access to secretly taped conversations in which high-level employees at Texaco used racial slurs and lamented having African Americans on staff, the evidence against Texaco was so damning that by November 1996, Texaco agreed to pay $176 million to 1,500 African American Texaco employees nationwide.

For Black History Month, I honor Bari-Ellen Roberts for her determination to seek justice and to make workplaces more equitable. Because of her, our workplaces are closer to being free from discrimination and are sites where all hardworking people can succeed.