Fired employee files civil rights lawsuit against U of M [Video]

MINNEAPOLIS — Mashal Sherzad fought back tears Friday as she described the events leading up to losing her job as Diversity Equity and Inclusion manager at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in January.

“I’m really, really scared for myself for many reasons,” Sherzad told reporters inside the Coffman Memorial Union. “What happened to me was wrong, legally, factually, emotionally. It was horrifying for me, my family, and my loved ones.”

Sherzad, a Muslim woman from an Afghani immigrant family, filed a lawsuit against the U of M, asserting the university violated her civil rights by firing her over a social media post critical of Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

“All I ask is you don’t take the income away from the people who do this work from their souls, because I …