Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem accused of gender bias by senior pastor candidate
NEW YORK -- A prominent Black church in Manhattan is being sued for gender bias by a woman who sought to be its senior pastor.
A new lawsuit in federal court accuses Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and its search committee of gender discrimination.
The lawsuit claims Yale Divinity School Professor Eboni Marshall Turman was rejected for the senior pastor position because of sexism.
The church released a statement saying in part, "While she and others were considered for the role because of their impressive backgrounds, she ultimately fell short of some key requirements for the role, where other finalist candidates prevailed and moved forward in the process."
The Abyssinian Baptist Church has been around for more than 200 years, becoming a famous megachurch with the political rise of the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
In 2007, Marshall Turman became the youngest pastor ordained in Abyssinian's history. She was among dozens who applied for the senior pastor position after the death of longtime senior pastor Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts in 2022.
The lawsuit specifically accuses search committee chair Valerie S. Grant of behaving inappropriately by asking Marshall Turman questions and pressing issues not broached with her male counterparts.
Grant responded that every candidate was asked a series of common questions, as well additional questions tailored to each person. Grant said Marshall Turman was asked certain questions that other candidates did not get "because she was the only woman" candidate.
The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages from the defendants for "lost wages, lost benefits, other economic damages, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, and mental distress," as well as an injunction forbidding any hiring-related gender discrimination.