Luxury fitness gym company Equinox was found to have discriminated against and unlawfully fired fitness trainer Röbynn Europe in a trial that ended earlier this week. When Europe worked as a trainer at Equinox’s East 92nd Street location, she said she was subjected to a hostile work environment.

In a case argued and won by the self-styled feminist litigation firm Crumiller P.C., Europe alleged that Equinox knew about the racist and sexually inappropriate behavior at the gym. Europe had complained to the gym’s general manager and the company’s human resources when a male subordinate, Christopher Maltman, made inappropriate comments to her. Instead of disciplining Maltman, however, the company fired Europe herself fired for “lateness,” even though some seven other managers at the Equinox on East 92nd Street regularly clocked in late and were never disciplined.

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A jury of five women and three men found that Equinox was at fault and had fired Europe based on both her race and gender. Röbynn Europe was awarded $11,250,000 in the verdict: $1,250,000 in compensatory damages and $10,000,000 in punitive damages. 

“The civil justice system prevailed today,” Europe’s attorney Susan Crumiller said in a statement after the verdict was announced. “Equinox thought it could get away with its appalling behavior and a jury of New Yorkers said otherwise. This is not just a victory for our client, but for all Black women who have suffered that noxious combination of racism and sexism that is too often tolerated in the workplace. We could not be prouder of Röbynn for her relentless determination to hold Equinox accountable for its vile misogyny.”

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Take part in an exciting evening of music and dance by Grammy-nominated pianist Axel Tosca––known for his genre-bending mix of Afro-Cuban Jazz, Timba, and Swing music––and the Jazz Ain’t Dead band on Thursday, May 18, 6:30–9:30 p.m. at the Lady of Lourdes School Gym (468 W. 143rd St., Harlem, NY 10031)  (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jazz-aint-dead-a-jazz-swing-concert-and-dance-tickets-633908225567?s=03).

Jazz Ain’t Dead, a young urban music and dance collective, will play both classic and nu-school Jazz, re-igniting the best standards of classic jazz into the updated rhythms of funk, soul, acid jazz, Latin, and house, while bringing new energy to the 21st-century jazz scene with hot, fresh originals and clever new arrangements of today’s hot music re-imagined into a new, classically “jazz-inspired” sound.

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Harlem One Stop presents Tosca and the Jazz Ain’t Dead band in partnership with the Lady of Lourdes School at an event made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

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Rare and collectible Black dolls will be available at the Morrisania Doll Society’s Black Doll Auction in Harlem on May 20 at the Dwyer Cultural Center, 258 St. Nicholas Avenue. Doors will open at 12 noon for the preview and the auction begins at 1 p.m.

The Morrisania Doll Society’s Black Doll Auction will feature over 40 Black dolls, most are from private collectors. These include one-of-a-kind dolls from noted doll artists like Pamela Ekkens, known for her creative cloth dolls; doll artists Crafty Sisters’ unique cloth dolls; acclaimed doll artist Goldie Wilson’s cloth Christmas tree Black doll ornaments; Shirley Nigro-Hill’s folksy cloth dolls and  Joyce L. Stroman’s art dolls. In addition, there will be a collection of limited-edition Black Barbie dolls.

For more information, contact: 917-655-8531

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Radio station WKCR at 89.9FM and online at http://WKCR.org will conduct a special 24-hour Sun Ra Arrival Day Broadcast on May 22 to celebrate the 109th anniversary of the arrival of Sun Ra (1914–1993) from Monday, May 22, at 12 a.m. through Tuesday, May 23, at 12 a.m. The event will preempt all regularly scheduled programming.

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“Every American worker should have the right to paid sick leave,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr., ranking member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Payne has introduced the Freight Rail Workforce Health and Safety Act, a bill to provide seven days of paid sick leave to railroad workers. “I am disappointed that the railroad industry did not provide this benefit on their own, especially when you consider it provides this benefit to railroad management,” Payne said.

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“These workers risked their health during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep food and medicine on store shelves. They deserve paid leave to care for their own health. When employees come to work sick, they threaten the health and safety of their co-workers. This bill would allow them to take care of their health without worrying about their income.”

Payne represents New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District, which consists of portions of Essex, Hudson, and Union counties, and includes the cities of Newark and Orange. The subcommittee has influence over national infrastructure and all modes of transportation, including aviation and mass transit.

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* This article was originally published here