Maybe they were talking about character and intelligence.

 

Lawsuits against the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife allege racial discrimination. The department isn't "recruiting" enough minorities, plaintiffs charge.

 

Well, excuse me, but do they run ads only in "white" newspapers? Do they distribute brochures to "whites only"? In today's economy, most people don't wait to be "recruited." They're out there pounding the pavement, reading the newspapers, applying online, networking, and doing whatever else they need to do to find a job.

 

It is also alleged that blacks are isolated and evaluated more harshly than whites. Brukendra Jackson says she was given one chance to master a swimming survival exercise while white cadets were given more chances. She says she was also chastised about a small tattoo concealed with makeup while a white cadet arrived at the academy with body ink covering the length of his arm.

 

We may assume that Brukendra didn't pass the swimming survival exercise. Perhaps she wasn't given another chance because she failed so miserably there was no point. Maybe one of the instructors or one of the other cadets had to endanger his own life to jump in and save hers. Without more information, we can't say this was discrimination.

 

About the tattoo -- what exactly was her tattoo? She says the other cadet "arrived at the academy with his." Did she get hers after she arrived at the academy? If so, perhaps there was a provision for existing tattoos, but getting one after being in the program was a no-no. Maybe it was more a matter of what the tattoo depicted than that she had one. For example, if it was an obscenity, I would pretty much say that was unacceptable. If it was something sexual, I would pretty much say that was unacceptable. And as every lady knows, makeup tends to disappear when you sweat. Maybe the cadet who "arrived with ink" agreed to wear long-sleeved shirts. Maybe he was having his "ink" removed. Again, without more information, we cannot say this was discrimination.

 

 

Brukendra (I wouldn't hire her just because of that name), says, "They told me that I had traits inside me that I couldn't overcome, that I just needed to leave and quit." She said the instructor did not explain what he meant by "traits," but "I just assumed he meant me being a black female." I would assume he meant that she was a whiner looking for a pass on the race card.

 

What it boils down to, Brukendra, is that as a prospective law enforcement officer, if you weren't smart enough to ask him what he meant, you're not smart enough to be a game warden, and I think he made the right call.

 

"Racial bias alleged in parks hiring." The Dallas Morning News; June 7, 2013; p. 1A.