Where State Farm Sees ‘a Lot of Fraud,’ Black Customers See Discrimination

She and nearly a dozen other Black and Muslim employees working nearby also received copies of an anonymous letter sent through the U.S. Postal Service, calling African American people “uneducated” and referring to Muslim people as “bottom of the barrel.” When Ms. Campbell-Jackson and the other employees reported their suspicions that the letters had come from inside State Farm, managers dismissed their concerns, according to her lawsuit.

In May 2016, State Farm fired Ms. Campbell-Jackson, saying she had shared sensitive information outside the organization. Ms. Campbell-Jackson said she had merely sent an email containing customer claims information to State Farm executives at their request. She was offered $175,000 in severance money on the condition that she agree never to speak about her experiences at State Farm, court filings show.

Ms. Campbell-Jackson didn’t take the offer. Later that month, she filed a complaint with the E.E.O.C., saying State Farm was violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating against her based on her race.

In most cases where an employee reports racial discrimination, the E.E.O.C. gives that person a “right to sue” letter, essentially saying it would be reasonable for the employee to pursue a claim in court. But last year, the E.E.O.C. sided with Ms. Campbell-Jackson, saying that State Farm had discriminated against her and 10 of her co-workers, and recommended that the insurer pay her around $500,000 in damages and back pay. The two sides have not come to an agreement.

In a letter to State Farm, an E.E.O.C. official wrote that it appeared that Ms. Campbell-Jackson “was harassed due to her race and discharged in retaliation for complaining about harassment.”

In December, she sued State Farm in federal court in Michigan, claiming that she had been subjected to discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliation. Benjamin Crump, a civil rights lawyer who has represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two Black Americans killed by police, is part of her legal team.

The same week that Ms. Campbell-Jackson announced her lawsuit, two State Farm executives discussed her case in a video the company sent to employees.