A federal union representing hundreds of thousands of Veterans Affairs workers said a new survey found more than three-quarters of its members think racism is a problem at the federal government’s second-largest organization.
According to the survey by the American Federation of Government Employees, 78% of workers reported that racism is a moderate to serious problem at the VA, The Hill reported.
The data also found 76% of those surveyed said they had experienced racially charged actions while working at the VA; another 55% said they had witnessed racial discrimination against veterans while on the job.
“It’s shocking that in 2020, not only are we still having to contend with racism at an agency of the federal government, but that it’s getting worse,” AFGE national head Everett Kelley said, The Hill reported.
The VA pushed back, calling the union “one of the least credible authorities in this country regarding harassment, abuse and unfair treatment,” and the survey a “desperate attempt” to deflect attention from a lawsuit it faces.
“VA does not tolerate harassment or discrimination in any form,” VA spokesperson Christina Noel said in a statement to The Hill.
VA employees, meanwhile, detailed racism at department facilities that they allege has gone on for years, Stars and Stripes reported.
Charmayne Brown, a Navy veteran, retired VA nurse and the leader of the union chapter in Kansas City, Mo., said she began experiencing discrimination at Kansas City VA Medical Center in 2003, and retaliation led her to retire in 2019, the military news outlet reported.
“I’m more determined now than ever before,” Brown said, Stars and Stripes reported. “This nonsense has to stop. I endured it all my life. I watched my grandmother go through it. Now I have grandchildren old enough to enter the workforce, and I’m not going to stand by and watch them endure it. Enough is enough.”
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