The nation's largest television home shopping
network has come under attack as two former hosts described why they joined a $100 million lawsuit alleging racial discrimination.
Victor Valez and Daliza Ramirez Crane told of working for the West Chester, Pa.-based company during a news conference called last week to publicize a $100 million lawsuit filed in December in
federal court in Brooklyn and recently updated to double the number of plaintiffs to four.
The lawsuit alleged that the network keeps its black and Hispanic hosts on late-night programs with
fewer viewers. Alan J. Rich, a lawyer who filed the lawsuit, said QVC has never allowed a black or Hispanic host to permanently work a prime-time or daytime shift.
In a statement, QVC said: "QVC believes in equal opportunity in the workplace and has a number of active programs to enhance the diversity of its workforce both on and off the air. These
allegations have absolutely no merit and QVC will defend itself vigorously against these baseless and unsubstantiated charges."
Former QVC host Daliza Ramirez Crane said in an interview that she was once told by a supervisor in 1991 to "lighten my look" because they were concerned about her image.
"I was shaking and nervous because I didn't want to be fired from a job I just started," she said.
She said she consulted with a makeup artist in New York City who promised to make her look
"like a glowing angel."
"They were very pleased with what he had done," she said of QVC, which employed her for five years until it allowed her contract to expire.
Victor Velez, another former host at the network, said he believed QVC had a glass ceiling blocking minorities. Sometimes, he said, "it felt more like it was made of concrete."
Still, he said, "I can't give you specifics."
