Santee Cooper under fire for another racist post seemingly shared by employee

The Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce is a member of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce (SCSBCC).  Marilyn Hemingway serves on the Board of the SCSBCC.

WCIV-TV
June 29, 2020

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by Anne Emerson

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — A racially-charged Facebook post was seemingly shared by a Santee Cooper employee.

It’s the second time in two weeks a Santee Cooper employee has been at the center of a racism allegation.

Now, some want action to be taken.

The Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce CEO said she was shocked at the brazenness of this post.

She said she simply wants to know now what’s going on at Santee Cooper.

Less than two weeks ago, the state-owned utility company said it fired an employee after a series of racist comments were directed at people protesting over the John C. Calhoun statue.

The employee wrote on Twitter that she, “wished they could load them on a boat and send them back one way from where they came from.”

Another shared post that allegedly appears on another Santee Cooper employee’s page says, “If black lives really mattered, they’d be tearing down crack houses instead of statues.”

We asked Santee Cooper leadership about it.

The company said it’s looking into the post, saying, “Santee Cooper does not tolerate racism of any kind. We are currently investigating the situation, as we do anytime a member of the public expresses a concern about one of our employees.”

But the call to action is broader. The Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce wants Santee Cooper to be a leader for change.

Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce CEO Marilyn Hemingway stated, “Don’t be reactive to this, be proactive toward this and they may actually be but we need to see it, because we are taxpayers and ratepayers and if they can’t do it then get out of the way. The people are demanding change.”

Hemingway said she believes the momentum is there, not just here in the Lowcountry, but nationwide. She said this is as long as companies and organizations are held accountable and maintain transparency.

As far as Santee Cooper, Hemingway said she hopes that one step will include racial sensitivity training for the utility’s employees.

https://abcnews4.com/news/local/santee-cooper-under-fire-for-another-racist-post-seemingly-shared-by-employee

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