He was a warrior for Fort Worth employees’ civil rights. Then his job was cut

Mike Lujan, the city of Fort Worth’s equal opportunity officer, performed his job so well that he lost it in 1979. An experienced civil rights investigator, he looked into several sexual harassment complaints by women in the Municipal Court. They accused their supervisor John Southard of making sexually offensive comments, and berating and intimidating them.

Lujan had worked independently six years in the city’s Human Relations Commission department, headed by Bill Hale. The department also provided civil rights education to department supervisors to help enhance the working environment and to avoid discrimination claims. Fort Worth’s Black, brown, and women groups had pressured city manager Robert Herchert to hire and keep a diverse city staff. Herchert said minority employment increased from 16.6% to 29.4% from 1973 to 1979.

Lujan was frustrated with the lack of cooperation from department heads to attend the mandatory equal employment workshops, saying 25% missed the sessions. He also believed the city administration had not addressed affirmative action seriously. Many of the newly hired Black employees filled clerical or trade positions — not managerial slots.

When he completed his fact-finding concerning Southard, he spoke with an WFAA reporter about his findings without Hale’s or Herchert’s consent. Later, Hale told him not to speak further with the media about the Southard investigation, but Lujan continued to speak with them, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He said he didn’t trust the city administration to act decisively about complaints unless the public was aware.

City attorney Arthur Petersen said Lujan had violated city ethics rules. The investigation was confidential because it was conducted for the city manager. Hale suspended Lujan for three days without pay on May 7, 1979. Herchert transferred responsibility for discrimination complaint investigation supervision to Hale. After a review of Lujan’s findings, the city suspended Southard for 30 days without pay and transferred him to a supervisory position in the city’s parking garage with a reduction in pay. Lujan said others with less severe offenses had been fired.

Lujan complained he had not violated any rules since Herchert and Hale were unavailable when a WFAA reporter contacted him. Lujan said the disciplinary action was retaliation for exposing discriminatory practices by a 26-year-tenured, white supervisor. He said the disciplinary action against him was motivated by other white department supervisors with whom the city had difficulties in implementing affirmation action programs. He filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Dallas office and retained attorney Jerry Loftin. The Lujan affair escalated when Herchert planned to eliminate Lujan’s position for financial reasons in the 1979-1980 budget proposal.

Once Southard’s sexual discriminatory practices, Lujan’s suspension, and the elimination of his position hit the news, Mexican American civic groups, the Mayor’s Committee on the Status of Women, and the local chapter of the National Organization for Women entered the fray. The Mayor’s Committee wrote to the city manager that it “feels strongly that female employees of the city of Fort Worth should be allowed to perform their duties without fear of sexual harassment or intimidation.” Fort Worth NOW president Lois Kantor said, “Had Mr. Lujan not informed the public of this situation, we believe that it’s possible that the investigation would never have been resolved and no disciplinary action taken against Mr. Southard for violating the city’s affirmative action ordinance and the civil rights of its employees.”

Support from Mexican American organizations

On May 15, 1979, ex-Human Relations Commission chair Sam Garcia relayed to the Human Relations Commission a complaint letter signed by seven Mexican American community organizations. “It is now apparent you are going to continue to ignore us and the needs of the poor, the women and other minorities of this city.”

City councilman Louis Zapata, in a budget meeting on Aug. 16, 1979, questioned the city’s commitment to eliminate employee discrimination. He said, “People are scared, and if this thing goes through you won’t hear any more complaints because people are going to be afraid. ... Sure, it’s OK to transfer him (Southard) and create a new job for him — he’s male and Caucasian. Yet we’re eliminating the post and the person who did the investigation and brought the sexual harassment to light.”

On Sept. 11, 1979, the city council voted to accept Herchert’s proposed 1979-1980, $129 million budget, deleting Lujan’s position. Zapata was the lone vote against budget. Yolanda Madera, Lujan’s friend, said, this was a “conspiracy to kill all affirmative action ... self interest that sold out the rights of all city employees, women and minorities.”

In a Star-Telegram article on Nov. 18, 1979, Zapata said city manager Herchert asked him, “Lou, how bad have I been hurt?” Zapata told the reporter, “He cares, I believe that. But he was wrong.”

Author Richard J. Gonzales writes and speaks about Fort Worth, national and international Latino history.