Mississippi Senate Accused of Paying Black Attorney Half the Salary of White Colleagues

By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA(NNPA) – The U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Mississippi State Senate of racial discrimination against Kristie Metcalfe, a Black attorney who worked in its Legislative Services Office (LSO) for nearly eight years. The lawsuit claims that Metcalfe was consistently underpaid compared to her white colleagues despite holding similar job responsibilities. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, the suit alleges that Metcalfe’s salary was set at about half of her peers’ pay, violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in the workplace.Metcalfe’s case highlights what the Justice Department argues is a clear example of systemic pay discrimination. According to the lawsuit, when Metcalfe was hired in 2011, her starting salary was substantially lower than any LSO attorney employed in the previous 30 years. While her white colleagues received raises a month later, Metcalfe’s salary remained unchanged, cementing a pay gap that would persist throughout her employment.The complaint further reveals that, despite Metcalfe’s repeated requests for equal compensation, the Senate continued to hire white attorneys at higher salaries. This included a later hire with similar legal experience but no previous legislative...