An African American woman who rose in the executive ranks at the American Association of Retired Persons is now battling the advocacy organization claiming racial, gender and age discrimination.
According to a suit pending in federal court at the Northern District of Illinois, plaintiff Laurinda Dodgen had worked at AARP for nearly 10 years and became interim national vice president before she was allegedly targeted in a "pretextual racist hit job."
Dodgen alleges in her suit that discriminatory conduct on the part of AARP executives created a hostile work environment, which resulted in her constructive discharge two years ago.
The case filed in January had not progressed until AARP filed a motion to dismiss late last month.
An attorney representing Dodgen indicated the defendant may have made a procedural misstep.
“I don't think their motion to dismiss is well-taken,” said Chicago attorney Keenan J. Saulter. “I think they're trying to argue the merits of the case at an improper stage for starters from a procedural standpoint and I think they desperately want to avoid discovery because the discovery, in this case, is going to be really bad for them.”
Saulter filed a response in opposition to AARP’s dismissal request on Aug. 11.
“There are multiple things, not the least of which is the CEO who is an African-American woman, admitted after Ms. Dodgen left the company (in August 2019) that AARP has a problem with racial discrimination, had an issue with diversity, and that black women, in particular, had experienced this within the company,” Saulter told the Cook County Record.
The suit claims that on June 11, 2020, during a companywide virtual townhall, AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins confirmed that there was racism within the AARP as it relates to its employees. It alleges that Jenkins said she had seen instances where African American employees received less merit pay and fewer promotions even though they were qualified as compared to their white counterparts.
At that same presentation Edna Kane Williams, AARP’s senior vice-president for multicultural leadership, allegedly confirmed that she knew that microaggressions against African American employees and other employees of color occurred frequently within AARP. Kane-Williams also allegedly indicated that she herself had suffered from microaggressions from her white and male colleagues with one remarking that she "seems angry all the time."
“Sadly, I’ve learned in life that there is no shortage of individuals or companies that are willing to discriminate against folks,” Saulter said. “Even ones that advocate for people like AARP.”
AARP Illinois state director Bob Gallo and AARP Chicago director Mary Anderson are accused of racism in Dodgen’s 34-page complaint despite what Dodgen claims were positive comments about her in various performance evaluations over multiple consecutive years.
“When she got done with being an interim vice-president nationally, Bob Gallo, her white male supervisor, seemed to really take offense at the fact that she had performed really well in that role and from there, things started to go downhill,” Saulter said. “He gave her the worst review she'd ever gotten up until that point and attacked her in ways that just simply don't make any sense based on her service reputation on the record and her ability. It got far worse when he hired Mary Anderson in January 2019.”
AARP’s reply to Dodgen’s response to their motion to dismiss is due on Aug. 25.
“Our next status report is due September 30 so maybe the judge will make a decision by then but it's really hard to say,” Saulter added.
Two former AARP executives submitted affidavits in support of Dodgen's claims. They include David Winkler, vice president of Government Contracts at Molina Healthcare Illinois, who previously worked for AARP-Illinois from 2007 through 2015 serving as assistant state director of Advocacy, and Gerardo Cardenas, previously AARP Illinois communications director until February 2018, who is now a consultant in Mexico City.