Getting fired was just the beginning of Griffin’s ordeal. After she sued the school, she became a pariah. It was one thing for a black woman without an education to try to fit in with the upper class, another to try to school them on bigotry and double standards. Families that had treated her like their own, Griffin found, turned their backs. So-called "homies" gave the school fodder to justify her firing. "For once in my life this is about me and my reputation," Griffin says. "I’m tired of being the doormat, the babysitter. I have to defend myself."
In early 1997, Griffin thought she had found her calling when she met headmistress Menzies at a birthday party thrown by Alan Young, president of the Santa Monica Boys & Girls Club, and discussed a job as a teacher’s aide. Griffin was a 24-year-old college dropout who needed a fresh start. In Carlthorp, she saw a chance to work with children and redeem herself at a formidable institution. "I was having a hard time accepting myself," Griffin says, "but I loved those kids, and they were so unconditional in their love for me that I felt saved by the place."
The hiring process was informal. After the party at Young’s house, Griffin filled out a job application at the school in April. She marked "No" where the application read, "Have you ever been convicted of anything more than a minor traffic violation?" According to Griffin, she told Menzies of an encounter with a previous employer that could result in criminal charges. She recalls that Menzies seemed more interested in diversifying her faculty. "Dee said she was glad I told her, and to let her know if there was anything she could do to help," says Griffin, who dates Young’s nephew, and whose uncle was on the board of the Boys & Girls Club with Menzies.
Griffin recalls her first several weeks at Carlthorp were uncomfortable. "I didn’t feel part of the group," she says of the teachers and their aides, who she describes as cliquish. "I kept to myself." Her daily routine as a first-grade teacher’s aide required close contact with one individual in particular, however.
One of the cardinal rules at Carlthorp is "Be respectful." So Griffin did not take matters lightly during her first year when, according to her lawsuit, she became the target of racial epithets by veteran first-grade teacher Elisabeth Tarvin. At first, Griffin thought it seemed like a game to Tarvin, who is white. But when Tarvin allegedly called her "Black Trash," Griffin was mortified. When Tarvin allegedly dubbed her "B.T." for short and it became her nickname, Griffin felt degraded.
Tarvin, the YWCA’s "Woman of the Year" in 2003, is British. She has been recognized for her community service to minorities. Out of necessity, Griffin tried to relate to Tarvin, which was difficult. "She used to say, ‘I teach your people to read,’" Griffin recalls. Griffin protested the alleged name-calling. "I asked her if she would like it if I called her ‘White Trash,’" Griffin states in her deposition. "She said she didn’t mind at all, so I asked her if she minded if I called her ‘English Trash,’ and she became extremely upset."
Griffin took her complaint to Menzies. "Dear Dee," she wrote in a letter dated November 12, 1997, "As of late, Mrs. Tarvin has resorted to calling me ‘Black Trash.’ I have told her that I do not appreciate her using that kind of language when addressing me, and that I found it extremely offensive. I would appreciate it if we could meet to find a positive resolution to put an end to this name-calling." Menzies recalls Griffin complaining once about Tarvin, verbally, according to Carlthorp’s lawyers. The headmistress’s response was that it was willful banter between the two. "Ms. Griffin and Ms. Tarvin would jokingly refer to one another as ‘white trash’ and ‘black trash,’" states Carlthorp’s lawyer, in a May 27, 2003, letter to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, on file in Los Angeles Superior Court. In her deposition, Griffin alleges that she complained to Menzies more than 10 times, sometimes in front of others. Through Carlthorp’s attorneys, Menzies declined to comment for this story.
Griffin alleges that she tolerated Tarvin’s racial slurs on a daily basis for two years until she requested a transfer to a different class, in 1999. "It created a hostile, intimidating and offensive work environment," Griffin states in her complaint. In its response, Carlthorp claims it does not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. Regarding Griffin’s allegation in her court file, that Tarvin also called her "Oreo," Carlthorp claims, "Ms. Griffin apparently made a joke that she, her sister and Ms. Tarvin might come to the Halloween party dressed as an ‘Oreo.’"
"That is not something I would joke about," says Griffin, whose boyfriend is white. Further, in her deposition Griffin states that Tarvin referred to her as a "black wallaby." In a letter to Menzies dated January 7, 1999, Griffin describes an incident in which the daughter of screenwriter Robert Towne returned from vacation in Australia with pictures of wildlife. According to Griffin, Tarvin remarked, "Oh look, it’s Ms. Griffin. We have our own black wallaby right here in class." Griffin points to four letters to Menzies from 1997 to 1999, asking Menzies to put a stop to the alleged racial harassment. Despite that, Carlthorp’s lawyers state in court papers that Ms. Griffin’s file is devoid of any reference to complaints of racial slurs.
