Hush Money - How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace

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Description

Narration, editing, rendering of all files of this 5h + audiobook.

Vocal Characteristics

Language

English

Voice Age

Middle Aged (35-54)

Accents

North American (General) North American (US General American - GenAM) North American (US South)

Transcript

Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
It was a chilly morning in the city of Austin, Texas. On the day my life was changed, I was sitting at the dining table with my mom, sipping a cup of coffee and browsing the want ads in the newspaper as she read the headline news. Mom, a beautiful woman born in Shreveport, Louisiana, was 51 years old, with a taller than average height, a slender physique, caramel colored skin as smooth as silk and glistening green eyes. She had long, shiny black hair dressed with a modest elegance and had a personality that could charm a poisonous snake. Mom adopted me when I was born and named me Ebony to highlight the beauty she saw in my dark skin. And although I didn't look anything like her, she was an amazing parent to me and was great in so many ways. The want ads, on the other hand, were not so great jobs that I was qualified for and that also paid well, were far and few between, and I was tired of looking and I was tired of working dead end jobs that made it hard to make ends meet as I wanted. The want ads into a ball. Mom sensed my frustration, put down her newspaper and placed her hand on top of mine. You can stay as long as you like Ebony, she said, with love in her eyes. But don't worry. God has a way of working things out. Mom's words were encouraging, but it was her gentle touch that comforted me the most, and I was at a point in my life where I really needed comforting 28 years old. I was going through a divorce, living with my mom in her small one bedroom apartment and trying to get my son back from what was supposed to be a summer vacation in New York with his father. As I thank Mom for her support, the phone rang. It was a call from a woman at the temp agency I had signed up with two weeks earlier. Deborah Ann Career Institute needs a secretary. She said. It's a temp position that pays $16.83 an hour, the equivalent of $35,000 a year. Are you interested? Heck, yeah, that's a lot of Mullah. I thought to myself before comely verbalizing my interest. And that's where my story begins with the call that changed my life in the best way and also the worst way. The caller began my six figure career in higher education and my descent into racial discrimination. ****, when I hung up the phone, I was smiling from ear to ear and couldn't wait to share the good news with Mom. One was thrilled. I told you God has a way of working things out, she said. All you gotta do is believe the temp assignment wasn't a full time job and didn't have any benefits. So you're probably wondering why I was so excited. The reason is really quite simple. For the first time in my life, I had gotten my foot in the door with a company that had really career potential. Deborah Ann Career Institute was a popular for profit college with multiple campuses located in the United States, including several campuses in the state of Texas. I had seen de bronze commercials on television and even considered enrolling in one of their degree programs, working in higher education even as a temp was a step in the right direction. As far as I was concerned,