A former employee has sued James Madison University in federal court for alleged racial discrimination. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Darla V. Edwards filed the lawsuit on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, claiming that JMU, through their program Virginia Ed Strategies, discriminated against Edwards, retaliated against, and wrongfully terminated her on the basis of race and color.
The civil complaint says that Edwards, who is a 50-year-old Black woman, was hired as the director of business and education partnership of Virginia Ed Strategies, or VES, in 2018. The program provides college and career preparation to K-12 students. She holds a master's and education specialist degrees, is working on her doctorate, and served on the Virginia Board of Education from 2012 - 2016.
Edwards also runs her own business, Successful Innovations, which works with early childhood education programs and Title I schools. According to the lawsuit, the CEO who hired Edwards told the VES board of directors at that time that the business was not a conflict of interest.
However, after a new CEO, Jennifer Stevens, took the helm, she appointed a 30-year-old white woman with less education and seniority than Edwards as vice president. The lawsuit says that Edwards complained to Stevens about being passed over, and planned to speak to the board of directors. Shortly thereafter, Stevens allegedly told Edwards that her business, "constituted an insurmountable conflict of interest" and she had to resign or sell her business. When Edwards did neither, and reported the incident to the university, she was fired.
A spokesperson for the university told WMRA on Wednesday that they haven't been served with the lawsuit yet, and have no further comment on pending litigation. WMRA also reached out to Edwards through her attorneys, and we'll keep you updated on this case as it develops.
Full disclosure: WMRA's operating license is held by JMU's board of visitors, but we cover JMU the same as we do all of our other stories.
