In the case of Ms M Mulumba v Partners Group (UK) Ltd Harmonie Mulumba said she suffered racial discrimination and harassment during her time on the company’s associate program. Partners said in a statement that an external law firm investigated a series of incidents alleged by Mulumba, including “alleged racial slurs” but didn’t uphold any of the allegations. While the firm acknowledges the incident took place it denies any of the racial discrimination and harassment claims made by Mulumba.
The annual holiday party took place at Partners’ Zug headquarters in 2012 and Mulumba said that the photos were displayed in the office during her job rotation there in 2016 and 2017. A team of employees dressed up as nuns from the film ‘Sister Act’ including the two men who painted their faces, the firm’s executive team said in an internal memo sent to employees on Nov. 30. and seen by Bloomberg. The picture was not removed until 2020, according to the memo.
“We apologize for the hurt caused to colleagues by this incident and for the thoughtless way in which both it and the photo were overlooked in subsequent years,” the executive team said in the circular. “Having investigated, we can accept that the two employees involved were not aware of the implications of their actions, nor their potential to cause offense.”
“I find blackface bizarre and inherently sinister – rarely is it ever donned to do anything other than make a mockery and, or present a caricature of blackness,” Mulumba, who worked in the office where the pictures were displayed, said in the court filing. “I believe it to be reflective of the true character and culture of Partners Group behind the thin veneer of propriety and decorum.”
Mulumba, who spent two years as a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analyst, says she was unfairly pushed out in July 2018 following her complaints despite performing well during her time in Partners Group’s associate program.
In a letter she filed to the tribunal, Ms. Mulumba alleges Juri Jenkner, the head of private infrastructure, made a joke comparing Black people to monkeys on a trip she attended, mocked the accent of a female Indian colleague while he was muted on a videoconference meeting, and held Ms. Mulumba to a higher standard than white and male peers.
The case continues. Ms Mulumba is seeking around 10 million pounds ($13.3 million) for lost earnings and bonuses.
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