Black Butterfly is an up close and personal look at African American, Simone Jackson, in the fight of her life, as she battles against a giant corporate business and challenges illegal practices in the workplace. When she discovers that 95% of minorities at Nikkei Motors have experienced discrimination in terms of salary, promotion and harassment, she gathers the troops and begins her struggle.
Darian Thomas is crucial to Simone's battle, as he is Nikkei's Director of Human Resources and has all the facts to validate Simone's allegations. Yet, Darian is entangled in a sexual harassment charge, and is lawfully tied to a non-disclosure clause that prevents him from turning over critical evidence.
Faced with lack of support from her co-claimants and extreme emotional decline, Simone retreats to her roots in South Carolina. There, Simone's Grandmother depicts the battle that was waged against segregation in the school system some 40 years earlier, and reminds Simone that her Grandfather, one of 13 petitioners, was instrumental in setting off Brown vs. the Board of Education -- a landmark court case that eventually dismantled "separate but equal."
Now, with an even greater resolve, Simone returns to her California home ready to continue her struggle no matter what the cost or how dirty the battle. However, Simone's greatest nemesis, Fair Employment and Housing Commission (FEHC) investigator, Loren Porter, has her own design and is willing to do anything in her power to prevent Simone's case from going public.
Will Simone continue her fight, even though it seems she's fighting all alone? Will she discover that she's not only up against a corporate giant, but a state organization that is "sleeping with the enemy?"
Showcasing dynamic symbolism, characters with depth, and a great thematic approach, Black Butterfly, a drama in the vein of political thriller, The Insider, speaks to the power of the human spirit. Simone wins her fight, but must learn a critical lesson of standing firm against all odds.
