A manager at ‘Founders Brewing Company,’ Michigan’s largest beer maker, is refusing to acknowledge that a former employee is black, in an ongoing racial discrimination lawsuit.
A former events and promotions manager of Founders, Tracy Evans, sued the brewery last year after being fired, alleging that his co-workers regularly used the “N-word,” and insisted that it was all a part of “a racist internal corporate culture.” He even claimed that one printer at work was labeled the “white guy printer,” while another was labeled the “black guy printer.”
Dominic Ryan, his former manager, insisted in a deposition for the lawsuit, that he could not definitively conclude whether Evans is black. He said in the deposition first obtained by ‘Metro Times’ Monday that, “I don’t know Tracy’s lineage, so I can’t speculate on whether he’s – if he’s from Africa or not.”
Evans’ attorney, Jack Schulz, continued to ask Ryan a series of questions that intended to reveal his understanding of race, but Ryan continued to dodge them. Ryan, who is white, eventually admitted that Evans was “darker,” but claimed he didn’t know his former employee’s DNA.
Ryan was apparently trying to play dumb and took it as far as saying that he also couldn’t confirm whether Barack Obama or Michael Jordan were black, because he had, “Never met them.”
Evans, who was disappointed in Ryan’s comments, later called them, ‘completely offensive’ and said he was surprised by Ryan’s exchange with his lawyer, given that he once considered Ryan as a friend and went on oath saying that Ryan didn’t take part in the racist behavior.
‘Founders Brewing Company’ has claimed that the worker in Grand Rapids, who used a racial slur, apologized to Evans and was disciplined. They also denied Evans’ claim the “white guy printer” allegations.
In the meantime, Founders Brewing Co. has closed its Detroit taproom amid growing controversy. “As has been reported in recent days, Founders has experienced some challenges at its Detroit taproom,” they said in a statement on the company’s website. “We’re dealing with those challenges, so that we can continue to serve beer lovers in Detroit. To accomplish that, we will be closing the location until further notice.”
