Cho, Racism in the Hiring Process at Julian Cho?
Is there racism and employment discrimination playing out in the hiring of Kent Arzu at Julian Cho? He says that his predecessors are both of Maya descent and that the composition of the board of directors is majority Maya.
Isani Cayetano
“Where do we stand insofar as the board of directors?”
On the Phone: Dr. Kent Arzu, Teacher, Julian Cho Technical High School
“Well, the board of directors has made it very clear from their behaviour with me that they are not considering me as an option. I have had several meetings with them and those meetings have not turned out well. They are meeting today at four and that is my understanding and at the end of that meeting, the idea of course, I guess, is to hire someone on an emergency basis and of course send that recommendation to the Teaching Services Commission.”
Isani Cayetano
“What has been the background of the previous principals of Julian Cho and give us an idea of the composition of the board of directors?”
On the Phone: Dr. Kent Arzu
“So the history of the principal for those nineteen years, the school began in approximately 2000. For seventeen of those years when I worked here I had a Mayan principal, a person of Mayan descent. I also worked under another principal who was of Mayan descent. Basically those have been the principals of the school. I have also served as an interim or acting principal during the time when there were no principals or when a principal was on leave. The racial composition of the board is mostly people of Mayan descent; I think there are two East Indians if I am correct. There is one person who is white and the rest are of Mayan descent.”
Isani Cayetano
“Do you believe that perhaps there is some element of racial or employment discrimination afoot here?”
On the Phone: Dr. Kent Arzu
“Yes. From the complaints that I have heard and from the way in which I have been treated by the board, I do believe that there is racial discrimination and of course there is workplace discrimination and I intend to call them out as I see it and of course I intend to take action and to make sure that if I am to be the poster child for racism in the workplace then that is what I intend to do because I will not let anyone or a board member trample on my right as a Belizean citizen and a citizen of the country.”
