The Jailhouse Lawyer

Neville, a 63-year-old immigrant from Jamaica, discusses how he combats discrimination, not only for himself but also for those who cannot stand up for themselves:

Well I’ve experienced discrimination on the job. You experience it back in the 60’s, 70’s yeah… What happened to me was that I had a good sense of self. On the job, wherever I worked, I was the jailhouse lawyer, you know. What that meant was individuals who were not treated fairly and neededĀ formalizeĀ their grievances with the company, I would write their letters, when nobody knew. You know, so individuals– sometimes people are about to be terminated, and uh, we’d just talk and I would write the letter personally with them and they could put their letter in the file and they’re still on the job.

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