The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has referred the insurer to its legal unit, said a report.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has referred insurance company State Farm to its legal unit in the face of accusations of discrimination, retaliation and racism, said a WGLT.org report.
The insurer has been advised that it faces possible prosecution in this case.
According to the WGLT report, the first National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Vice President Carla Campbell-Jackson from the Bloomington-Normal chapter in Illinois has filed the discrimination allegations against State Farm. The allegations were filed with the EEOC in 2016.
That year, Campbell-Jackson was working in Michigan in the insurance company’s claims section, said the WGLT report. Following an investigation process by the EEOC, the commission issued a “determination of reasonable cause for Campbell-Jackson’s claim in February of this year,” said the report. It went on to say that since that time, the federal agency has “referred the issue to its legal unit for possible prosecution and notified Campbell-Jackson of her right to sue.”
State Farm has stated that the allegations made by Campbell-Jackson “do not align with our values.”
“Racism can be experienced by any individual no matter their educational attainment, their political affiliation, their status, their class,” said Campbell-Jackson as quoted by WGLT. “So, racism is real, and it is systemic.”
NAAP Illinois State Conference President Teresa Haley released a statement quoted in the report in which she called discrimination, racism and retaliation in the workplace “intolerable, illegal and reprehensible.”
State Farm released a statement in response to the allegations, saying that it was “important to clarify that the allegations outlined are made by a single individual, Dr. Carla Campbell-Jackson, and not an organization.” The statement went on to say that, “These allegations do not align with our values,” and that “State Farm is 
committed to a diverse and inclusive environment, where all customers and associates are treated with fairness, respect, and dignity. There has been no legal determination that State Farm has violated any state or federal discrimination law. Because this is a pending matter, we will have no further comment.”
