more on 1953 alabama - oh wait, i mean 2006 FARMINGTON CONNECTICUT

i KNOW what it's like to be discriminated against because i have NO penis (well i have one or two but that's another story entirely) but i can never know what it's like to be a woman of color. the damage is done to these four women, but the GOOD part is the parent company now KNOWS there is a problem and is going to attempt to rectify it so it will NOT happen in the future. to the four women - i am truly sorry

Hard Words Spoken, Regretted
By STEVEN GOODE Courant Staff Writer March 3 2006

When Shay Ingersoll walked into a staff meeting at Middlewoods of Farmington after working her regular waitressing shift, she knew she would be hearing a reminder about not wearing long earrings to work and a discussion of the company's proposal to require kitchen-safe shoes.But the 17-year-old senior at Bloomfield High School wasn't prepared for remarks that afternoon at the assisted living community that would leave her crying, angry and looking for another job.Someone had complained about the head scarves worn by Ingersoll and at least one other employee. The dining room manager, who is white, conveyed those concerns."She said there was a complaint about four black girls - and that you're going to be upset," Ingersoll said. "She said someone working on the weekend told her we looked like we were in a gang, and like Aunt Jemima."Ingersoll, who often wore a scarf to keep her hair out of the food she served, said the comments left her in shock. She left the Feb. 25 meeting in tears and headed to her car. The other three women walked out a few minutes later.On the way out, Ingersoll said, she stopped to tell a colleague she had enjoyed working with him. "I just had a feeling I wouldn't be back," she said.That sense was confirmed when Ingersoll spoke later with Shadana Smith, one of the other women, who had called Middlewoods to say she wouldn't be at work the next day. Smith said she was told not to bother coming in ever again, that all four of the women had been fired and that police would be called if they returned.When officials at the facility's parent company, United Methodist Homes, heard what had happened, the company sent letters of apology and assured the women that the company plans to provide cultural sensitivity training for the entire staff. The company also asked them to consider remaining as employees, and requested a face-to-face meeting...........