A Black American former General Mills employee has filed a civil rights lawsuit accusing the food manufacturing giant of retaliation and racial discrimination after he objected to a series of “fun fact” flyers about Black history that he says trivialized racial atrocities.
L. Lee Tyus Jr., who worked at the company’s St. Paul, Minnesota, facility from 2019 until his firing in March 2025, said the flyers were posted in the employee breakroom during Black History Month. They included summaries of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and the post-Civil War Black Codes — labeled as “fun facts” under a banner printed in red, black, and green, the colors of the Pan-African flag.
“Much like the massacre, I wish this didn’t happen and I could put energy into something actually ‘Fun’ or doing the work as I have for years before now,” Tyus wrote in internal communications cited in court filings.
An image from L. Lee Tyus Jr.’s’ lawsuit of a flyer displayed at General Mills referencing the 1921 Tulsa race massacre as part of “Fun Facts About Black History.” (Storms Dworak Law Firm)
The Tulsa Massacre, often described as one of the deadliest episodes of racial violence in U.S. history, saw white mobs destroy the Black neighborhood of Greenwood, killing an estimated 100 to 300 Black American residents and demolishing over 1,000 homes and businesses. Black Codes, another topic listed on the flyers, were laws passed after the Civil War to suppress the rights of newly freed Black Americans.
Tyus said the labeling of these events as “fun facts” was dehumanizing and painful, especially when he considered whether similar framing would ever be used for tragedies involving white Americans.
According to the complaint filed June 27 in Hennepin County District Court, when Tyus brought his concerns to Human Resources, he was told that if atrocities against white Americans were posted, they “would just be labeled ‘American Tragedies.’”
He later raised the issue again with his plant manager and team lead. When he saw no formal response, Tyus submitted an internal ethics complaint. That same day, he was placed on involuntary leave and told to provide medical documentation to return — despite not requesting medical leave.
“I’m being retaliated against for my beliefs and aren’t being allowed back to work which feels again like an injustice,” Tyus wrote in response to being sidelined.
Although Tyus was eventually allowed back on March 8, he discovered his access card had been deactivated. A senior employee relations manager, Tracey Hatchew, then encouraged him to share her contact information with others who may have also been offended. With his supervisor’s approval, Tyus created a sheet with Hatchew’s details and placed it near the same breakroom area where the original flyers had appeared.
An image of another flyer contained in the lawsuit shows the Black codes that preceded Jim Crow as “Fun Facts About Black History.” (Storms Dworak Law Firm)
Just over a week later, on March 19, Tyus was fired and escorted from the building. General Mills cited “multiple violations of General Mills’ standards of conduct and policies.”
His lawyers say the firing came despite a January performance review that rated him as “on track” in all areas.
Tyus is now seeking at least $150,000 in damages for three alleged violations of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which protects employees from discrimination and retaliation, along with attorney’s fees and a civil penalty.
“Mr. Tyus did what every employee should feel safe to do — he stood up, spoke out against what he believed was discrimination, and reported it. That took courage,” said Naomi Martin, an attorney at Storms Dworak LLC, which is representing Tyus. “A company of this size should be modeling what it means to support employees who speak up — not firing them.”
Storms Dworak previously secured a $27 million settlement for George Floyd’s family in a separate high-profile civil rights case.
General Mills declined to comment on the lawsuit’s details but said in a statement, “While we do not comment on pending litigation, I can share that General Mills does not tolerate discrimination or retaliation.”
The case remains pending in Minnesota state court.
