School walk coordinator claims local government fired her for wearing Ruby Bridges shirt with racial slur

The former coordinator of a Salem program to encourage students to walk and bike to school is suing her former government employer after she was fired for wearing a shirt featuring an iconic American painting that included a racial slur.

Beth Schmidt is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, claiming that the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments and her boss, executive director McRae Carmichael, violated her free speech rights and terminated her wrongfully. She sued…