A Black woman whose job at FedEx once included providing security detail for the global transportation giant’s late founder and former CEO, Fred Smith, has filed a $6 million lawsuit claiming that she was fired after complaining about racially abusive language and a hostile workplace at its Memphis headquarters.

Barbara Blake started working at FedEx in 1997 and held various security positions, including dispensing weapons to the company’s other security officers; tracking cash, drugs, and weapons shipped in packaging; and, from 2018 to 2024, acting as an armed security guard to top FedEx executives, including guarding their homes.

Blake, who earned $82,000 a year, says she enjoyed her job and had not been written up for misconduct or performance issues until she began making complaints

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