Discrimination at Best Buy

So it looks like Best Buy, the giant retailer that sells everything from computers to refrigerators, is being sued for employment discrimination, according to this L.A. Times article.

The plaintiffs allege that people of color and women were routinely passed over for sales and management positions while less experienced white men were promoted. In addition, the article says:

Lawyers for the plaintiffs, including Bill Lann Lee, former U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights, also portrayed the alleged discrimination as part of a company ethic that focuses on serving white customers. They cited a company policy requiring salespeople to target buyers matching four hypothetical models - all white.

It doesn't seem surprising that management would think that men would be better at selling televisions and all the "manly" stuff than women. Understanding where they're coming from doesn't excuse this racist and sexist stunt though.

Bill Lann Lee, the plaintiffs' lawyer, was the assistant attorney general for civil rights under President Clinton, and the first person of Asian descent to hold that position. The Republican-controlled Senate refused to confirm him because of his support for affirmative action, so he held the position as an acting assistant AG before getting a recess appointment.

Since leaving that post, he has become a partner at Lieff Cabraser, an awesome plaintiffs firm based in San Francisco. He has done a lot of cool work, including the Abercrombie & Fitch employment discrimination case.

I wanna be like Bill.