Former employee alleges targeted racist treatment at Horry job in lawsuit, including KKK card

A former Department of Education employee in Horry County says in a lawsuit that he was racially discriminated against and intimidated with slurs and bigoted comments by his white coworkers.

Eric Jordan, a Black man, says he was called many racist slurs and referred to in some instances as “boy,” according to his lawsuit against the department, which was filed in August.

On one occasion, the lawsuit claims that in a conversation about playing the “Negro national anthem” instead of the national anthem at sporting events, a coworker said: “You are a trouble-maker! You’re worse than they are! You’re a black a** n***** is what you are!”

Jordan worked at the school system as a bus mechanic in Horry County. His job site was in Conway at the Horry Bus Shop, a department-owned maintenance workshop.

Jordan was believed to be the only Black employee on the 11-member team, the lawsuit states.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson with the department said the agency had not received the lawsuit and declined to comment.

During his first week on the job in February 2018, Jordan endured “repugnant, blatant, open and obvious racist attacks” by his coworkers and supervisors, according to the suit.

On Jordan’s first day of work, the lawsuit states that a coworker told Jordan and others that, “I didn’t know it was going to be one of y’all.”

Another person said: “’I’m not sure why they hired you to work here,’” according to the suit.

It states the insults continued on through the second week when a third employee showed Jordan his Klu Klux Klan membership card before threatening him if he got out of line.

In the suit, Jordan alleges that he was constantly accused of problems that came up without any evidence to support that he was at fault. He was falsely reported on by coworkers to protect the white employees, according to the lawsuit.

It alleges that Jordan was denied time off during the November 2020 election to vote when other employees were granted time off to do so during work hours.

In the days after the election, Jordan was taunted about who he voted for, which he never disclosed, and he listened to his coworkers comment “distinct racially-divisive rhetoric eminent from other far-right supporters with the intent to antagonize” him.

“With a reasonable fear of retaliation from the coalition of white coworkers and supervisors who allowed prevalent and open racial abuse and defamation to repeatedly take place, Plaintiff was able to do little to defend himself...” the lawsuit states.

When he did alert a supervisor, Jordan was told, “around here, you got to grow tough skin,” according to the suit.

At some point, department officials were told about the discrimination, and an investigation started but nothing came out of it.

After not receiving the help he sought, Jordan sent a video to the human resources director of a coworker calling him a “black a** n*****”. That employee was fired, but Jordan faced retaliation from his direct supervisor and other employees afterwards.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 26, claims the actions of those Jordan worked with led to his emotional and physical distress.

This story was originally published September 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.