Joseph B. Hill, a Black applicant who was vying for a position as a diversity, equity and inclusion officer at a Houston hospital, said he was denied the opportunity because executives felt that he is “too sensitive about race issues.” According to NBC News, Hill was shocked when he received the letter from Memorial Hermann Health System, informing him that the company has rescinded its offer.
“We regret to inform you that we are rescinding the offer of employment dated July 21, 2021. We appreciate your interest in the position and wish you much success going forward,” Lori Knowles, Memorial Hermann’s human resources vice president, stated in a letter obtained by NBC News.
Hill's lawyer, Mark Oberti, said his client went through dozens of interviews over six weeks but was told that he is "not a good fit." The lawyer added that the company expressed issues about Hill seeking a larger relocation budget. Additionally, the applicant was accused of renting and charging a luxury car to the company.
According to the attorney, Hill, who has worked in diversity for over 20 years, was described as being overall “too sensitive about race issues.”
“The reasons they listed were just as shocking as rescinding the offer,” Hill said, adding that “they didn’t even contact me to discuss their so-called issues.”
A recent report that documented diversity in 2,868 American workplaces concluded that many companies are still failing to hire Black diversity, equity and inclusion directors. The report showed that Black DEI representation barely increased from 2020 to 2021, going from 11.3% to 11.5%.
Chris Metzler, who created DEI certification programs at Cornell University and Georgetown, said “many organizations are not interested in real change.”
“They are looking at diversity as a numbers game. Many executives ask me privately, ‘How many Black people do I have to have?’" Metzler said. “So, what they essentially want to do is bring in people who look different from them, but not necessarily people who think different from them. They want them to look different but just say, ‘Yeah, OK,’ to issues that need to be addressed.”
Hill has worked at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
When he decided to move from Atlanta to Houston in August, Memorial Hermann Health System contracted a white real estate agent to help him find a house. Hill, however, said the agent showed racial bias numerous times. On one occasion, the agent allegedly pointed out a Black-owned clothing store, saying, “One of those stores over there is owned by a rapper; I don’t know those guys.”
Hill said there was another time when the agent saw him driving a Porsche SUV and said, “That’s a nice rental car you have there.” The new Houston resident brought his concerns to the company before they rescinded the offer.
“When your incoming chief diversity officer tells you that these are issues and your response is that he’s ‘too sensitive to racial issues,’ how low can you go? His job is to come in and point out those issues," Metzler said.
Hill is now looking at his legal options.
"This is bigger than me,” he said. “This is about doing the right thing, and the right thing in this case also is hoping other companies take this position of DEI seriously to make substantive changes and not just as a spot to fill for appearances’ sake. That’s not helping the long-standing issues of lack of diversity or creating a safe, comfortable workspace for all employees.”
