A former University of St Andrews lecturer is suing the institution for racial discrimination and race-related harassment.
Counter terrorism expert Akali Omeni has lodged a £100,000 claim, stating he was constructively dismissed from the School of International Relations.
The associate professor told an employment tribunal in Dundee of a “clear racial microaggression” after his line manager said she did not appreciate the tone of one of his emails.
And he said this led to a breakdown in trust between him and the university.
According to Omeni, the comment followed a series of issues between him and department heads.
These included an alleged failure to credit him for work, failing to offer line manager support and refusing to reduce his workload in line with white colleagues.
He said: “I wanted people to be privy to what was going on because I knew a storm was brewing.
“I knew once they closed ranks I wouldn’t get a fair hearing.”
Claim of staff member’s ‘tone policing’ and ‘racial microaggression’
Omeni told tribunal judge Jennifer McLuskey: “The deputy head of the school said to me I should watch my tone.
“She said that in an email.
“This, for me, is beyond problematic because this is a clear racial microaggression.
“To a black person, this goes back to slavery. When a black slave was brought into the house, this black person might say something out of turn and be told to watch their tone.”
Omeni referred to this a “tone policing”.
And he added: “I’ve experienced all kinds of racism, including here in Dundee. It’s not a joke, it’s not trivial, it’s my lived experience.
“Things like this might not mean much to a bunch of white officials who might close ranks around me.
“But to me, it’s very distressing. It damaged my mental health and I was put on medication for the first time in my life.”
He added: “I never said no to anything at St Andrews
“I said yes to everything in a very polite manner because I know the stereotype of the difficult, problem black man.”
Several St Andrews University discrimination allegations
Omeni told the tribunal he had had to write an entire teaching module from scratch following the death of a previous lecturer.
He did this during time set aside for research and in his personal time.
However, he claims the university failed to officially recognise this despite several attempts to get them to do so.
He claims the head of the school also judged his teaching as good – the lowest possible category – despite the fact he went on to win St Andrews University’s Distinguished Teaching Award.
And a promotion was not publicised to the rest of the department in line with normal practice.
All members of employment tribunal are white
Omeni, a lecturer in counter terrorism and terrorism studies, said he had no confidence in his issues being properly investigated.
This was because his line manager was married to the head of department, who played golf with another staff member.
And he described his alleged treatment as a “demeaning action and a source of enduring distress”.
The employment tribunal is expected to last all week, with Omeni pointing out none of the panel’s three members are black.
Meanwhile, the university said it cannot comment on an ongoing case.
