Google to Pay $50M in Racial Bias Lawsuit Over ‘Mammy’ Caricature, Unequal Pay

Google has agreed to a $50 million settlement in a racial discrimination class action lawsuit brought by over 4,000 Black and mixed-race (“Black+”) employees. The suit, led by April Curley and filed in 2022, claims that Black workers were paid less, denied promotions, and exposed to a toxic workplace culture—including shocking allegations that a manager criticized a Black employee for not being “Googley enough” and shared a racist “mammy” caricature holding a white baby with his own face on it. The lawsuit underscores ongoing issues with representation—just 1.9% of Google’s workforce identified as Black when Curley was hired. The settlement still awaits federal court approval but signals a powerful shift in the tech giant’s accountability. Will meaningful change follow?