Toyota, Mississippi Officials Sued for Racism
By Michelle Krebs April 13, 2009A black-owned construction company has filed a federal civil lawsuit against Toyota,
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and the Mississippi Development Authority claiming racial discrimination in the construction of Toyota's new plant in northeast Mississippi.
The owners of Fish & Fisher, Jacqueline Williams and Renna Fisher, say Barbour, MDA and the car company acted in concert to bar them from participating in what they claim was a whites-only bid process for site preparation.
A Toyota spokeswoman called the claims baseless and touted the company's commitment to hiring minority companies during the construction process.
In December, Toyota announced due to the slumping economy, it was postponing the opening of the plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi, northwest of Tupelo. The plant originally was to build the Toyota Highlander SUV. Toyota then said it would shift gears and assemble the Toyota Prius hybrid.
The automaker will complete construction of the plant but will go no further. Installation of production equipment will not occur until economic conditions improve, the automaker said.
Photo by Toyota
Politicians, Toyota executives and government officials, including Governor Haley Barbour (center) celebrated Toyota's announcement that it will build a $1.3 billion assembly plant near Tupelo, Mississippi, in 2007.
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