But this could just as easily have happened if the employee had been white. I will concede the higher-up may have held a grudge, but on account of personal animosity not racism as I've never heard said the individual say or do anything remotely racist.
It only looks like discrimination because by sheer happenstance/coincidence, he happens to be the only minority in an all-white department. By this logic, wouldn't this mean any non-white employee in an all-white department is granted bulletproof immunity from discipline and termination?