General Mills, the food manufacturer known for making some of America’s most well-known cereals, is facing a federal lawsuit filed by eight of its Black employees. The employees claim that one of the company’s plants in Georgia has “embraced a racially hostile work environment” controlled by “white supremacists.”
In a 60-page federal lawsuit filed earlier this month, the plaintiffs allege that the managers at the Covington, Ga., plant favor white employees for promotions over its Black employees — as they allege that more disciplinary actions were issued toward Black employees.
In addition, the plaintiffs claim that the plant is run by a group of “male white supremacists operating in management and HR,” as they claim the teams formed a group called the “Good Ole Boys,” according to the lawsuit.
“The ‘Good Ole Boys’ believe that history and symbols that have been co-opted or misappropriated by the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist hate groups are useful to keep Black people ‘in their place’ and discourage Black people from speaking or taking action against the disparate treatment of Black employees at the Covington facility,” the lawsuit reads.
The plaintiffs say that since the plant opened in 1988, several systems have been in place that have benefited the white employees more than the Black employees — as they argue the incidents listed in the lawsuit span the course of over two decades.
In one incident, the employees allege a mural was displayed in the factory from 2005 to 2021 as a memorial for Confederate leaders, featuring mascots from General Mills brands — such as the Cocoa Puffs cuckoo bird portraying Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, and Chef Wendell from the Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand as Robert E. Lee, according to the lawsuit.
In another incident, a Black employee says that in 2006 he found the letters “KKK” written on his personal lunchbox. As the employee reported this incident to management, managers required the employee to provide a handwriting sample to determine it was not him who wrote the letters, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit also mentions an incident that took place in 1993 where a noose was left on a Black employee’s desk. That same employee, a year later, claims he was told by a white employee to “go back to Africa.”
According to the lawsuit, HR has ignored “egregious incidents of racism” for 20 years, both locally and corporately. The eight plaintiffs are seeking damages, financial losses, and a jury trial.