Ojinika Obiekwe, a former entertainment anchor and reporter for New York’s PIX11 News, has filed a lawsuit alleging gender and racial discrimination against her former employer. Obiekwe, who was born in Nigeria, began her career at PIX11 as an intern in 2001 and worked her way up to become a prominent figure at the station. Over the course of 16 years, she held various roles, including assignment editor, producer, and reporter, before being promoted to a full-time on-air position as an entertainment anchor in 2017. Despite her success, Obiekwe’s tenure at PIX11 came to an end in 2022 when she was terminated, a decision she claims was retaliation for speaking out against the discrimination she experienced.
Obiekwe’s lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, details the challenges she faced after her promotion. She alleges that she was assigned an excessive workload, often having to perform the duties of multiple employees, including those of a segment producer and copy editor, without adequate support or fair compensation. Meanwhile, her white male counterparts at sister stations owned by the same parent company, Nexstar, such as KTLA in Los Angeles and WGN-TV in Chicago, were reportedly paid more for doing less work and had access to better resources and staff. This disparity, Obiekwe claims, was a clear reflection of the systemic gender and racial bias she endured.
The Emmy-winning journalist also brought attention to the hostile work environment she experienced. Obiekwe openly criticized the unfair conditions, comparing her workload to the oppressive conditions of a plantation. She even made pointed remarks about her treatment, stating, “All that’s left for me to do at this point is pick cotton,” and referring to herself as “Django,” a reference to the fictional enslaved character from Quentin Tarantino’s film Django Unchained. She emphasized the historical injustice of her situation, saying, “My ancestors didn’t go through what they went through just for me to go through this,” and “I thought slavery was abolished.” These comments underscored her frustration with the systemic inequalities she believed she was facing.
Obiekwe’s complaints about her treatment did not go unnoticed, but they were met with resistance from her superiors. According to the lawsuit, her news director told her to stop speaking out because she was making people uncomfortable. Despite her efforts to address the issue, Obiekwe’s concerns were dismissed, and she was eventually terminated in 2023. The station cited “insubordination” and “failure to perform job duties” as the reasons for her termination. However, Obiekwe and her union, SAG-AFTRA, challenged these claims, arguing that there was no evidence to support them. The lawsuit alleges that the news director ultimately admitted that PIX11 was simply choosing not to renew her contract without any valid justification.
Obiekwe has since hired attorneys Andrew G. Celli and Eric Adams of the law firm ECBAWM to represent her in the case. Her legal team contends that she was fired for speaking out about the discrimination she faced, which they argue is not only morally wrong but also a violation of the law. In a statement, one of her attorneys emphasized the importance of holding PIX11 and Nexstar accountable for their actions, asserting that Obiekwe’s termination was a direct result of her courage in addressing the injustices she experienced.
A spokesperson for PIX11 declined to comment on the lawsuit, leaving many questions unanswered. The case raises important questions about workplace discrimination, retaliation, and the challenges faced by women of color in the media industry. Obiekwe’s story highlights the struggles many professionals face when advocating for fairness and equality, and it serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for accountability and systemic change in the workplace.
