Former Grammy CEO alleges bias within organization – RU Daily Targum

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The always illustrious Grammy Awards aired last night on ABC following days of public criticism after its CEO was abruptly suspended without warning.

Chief Executive Officer of The Recording Academy Deborah Dugan has accused the award shows Recording Academy of gender and race discrimination, as well as sexual misconduct, both before and after her suspension. This case is the latest addition to the #MeToo movement.

Nearing the end of her five-month employment, Dugan claims that she sent an email to human resources on Dec. 22 expressing concerns of board members behaviors and voting irregularities, according to NBC News. Dugan went on to also state that she was sexually harassed by the Academys lawyer, Joel Katz.

Almost a month later, Dugan was placed on administrative leave just 10 days before the music awards allegedly due to claims that she created a toxic work environment with an abusive and bullying management style, according to the article.

A previous co-worker at the nonprofit AIDS advocacy group, Charles Gibbs, publicly expressed his shock about these claims and went on to tell the media that Dugan is one of the most compassionate and selfless people that he had ever met, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Since Dugans absence, she has denied the inauspicious allegations against her and has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Reportedly, the complaint explains the malpractice and intolerance she uncovered at the Academy, according to The Atlantic.

Dugan cited several statistical facts within the complaint. More specifically, she reminded the public that within the past five years, 9.3 percent of nominations in the telecasts top five categories have been women.

This is not the first time the Grammy has faced criticism in the public eye.

In 2018, pop singer Alessia Cara was the only woman who had won a solo award. During a press conference, the Academys previous CEO, Neil Portnow, was asked about the circumstances of the fact.

Portnow responded saying women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers and want to be part of the industry on the executive level simply needed to step up, according to The New Yorker.

During his 16-year high-ranking residency, Portnow has allegedly been accused of rape by an anonymous Carnegie Hall performer. Dugan has asserted that the Recording Academys board of trustees knew of the claim.

Though these allegations support Dugans argument about sexism in the workplace, the Grammy has denied these assertions after an internal investigation took place, according to The Atlantic.

In the wake of the misogyny surrounding the esteemed award show, the #MeToo movement becomes more prominent than ever as opening statements of the ever so infamous Harvey Weinstein trial goes underway.

Over the past three years, countless women have come forward indicating blatant corruption and sexual misconduct in the workforce, sending the media into a frenzy. Distinguished conglomerates like NBC, Fox, Hollywood and now the Recording Academy have been blamed for protecting the predatory behavior.

The #MeToo movement took off when actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan broke their silence and accused Weinstein of sexual assault, prompting victimized women everywhere to come forward with their own stories about the lewd abuse of men in power, according to BBC. The term "Me Too" was first coined in 2006 by social activist Tarana Burke.

Amid the accusations, Today show co-anchor Matt Lauer was immediately fired after being suspected of several counts of sexual harassment by fellow employees dating back to 2014, according to Variety.

Now, at the height of the empowering cultural phenomenon, Hollywood has gone on to make money by exploiting assault stories inspired by events in recent releases such as Bombshell, The Morning Show and Unbelievable.

While no acts of sexual misconduct by employers at the Recording Academy have been confirmed, the fight for gender equality in a patriarchal work environment and society continues to grow more aggressive every day.

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Former Grammy CEO alleges bias within organization - RU Daily Targum

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