At the end of last month, three people who had applied for a Community Engagement Educator job post by the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga were denied the position. The three are suing the aquarium, claiming that they were discriminated against because of their race.
The reason that the three applicants believe they were discriminated against was because the job posting issued by the aquarium explicitly stated that they were only looking for the following: “Applicants must be of minority group that would include but is not limited to: African American or Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian American or Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, and applicants who consider themselves to be of more than one race.”
The three applicants that decided to apply anyway did so because they felt they were amply qualified for the position. Timothy Gunn is a U.S. Navy veteran with skills in sonar technology and oceanography. Zachary Taylor was also a U.S. Navy veteran who was deployed overseas and provided security for nuclear submarines, as well as presented information to and trained large groups. Marni Pearce said she has “experience working with underserved and underrepresented communities.”
