“Being the only black person in a bourbon company is a microcosm of what it’s like to be the only African-American in any industry,” Samara Rivers, the president of the Black Bourbon Society, said in an interview. “It was like saying, ‘Fine, she’s the first,’ but they didn’t emphasize or honor her in that role.”
After the success of Blenders’ Select in early 2020, Ms. Major’s public profile grew rapidly, but was short-lived. The Covid shutdown brought her promotional tour to an end, an unexpected twist that, Ms Major said, coincided with a campaign by the company to push her aside.
The lawsuit also alleges that the company began refusing interview requests for her and banned her from speaking in public without her approval.
Ms. Major states that this was in retaliation for her statements. According to a Diageo spokeswoman, it would have been unfair to ask her to represent the company publicly when she was in conflict with the company, and that it is company policy to obtain prior consent for press interviews.
In August 2020, Ms. Major retained counsel and demanded an increase in compensation; two months later, she entered mediation with the company.
Talks came to nothing and in June 2021, after developing hypertension, Ms. Major resigned – what she considers in her lawsuit to be a case of “constructive termination”, a form of wrongful termination where a company discloses the situation of an employee. so unbearable that she has to stop.
Ms. Major has since been out of regular employment, and although her lawsuit does not specify damages, she previously rejected a $300,000 offer from Diageo to leave the company. But she said the suit isn’t about money.
