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Thesis Statement: In the field of employment, African-Americans get fewer callbacks and lower starting salaries; they even have to deal with discrimination by colleagues, as various Internet sources and the results of a conducted interview show.
Although many people claim that racism has been defeated, it still exists at some levels. Even now, in education, employment, housing, and criminal justice, black people can face difficulties and usually have to fight for the opportunity. In the field of employment, African-Americans get fewer callbacks and lower starting salaries; they even have to deal with discrimination by colleagues, as both various Internet sources and the results of a conducted interview show.
As Albert Memmi once said, “No one … wishes to see themselves as racist; still, racism persists, real and tenacious” (Bonilla-Silva 1). Indeed, not many people in the US consider themselves racists. They usually claim that they “don’t see any color, just people” (Bonilla-Silva 1). Moreover, many whites assert that minorities themselves are responsible for the current situation.
As they say, whenever whites criticize the blacks, those immediately play “the race card,” claiming that they are discriminated against (Bonilla-Silva 1). So, they only pretend to be discriminated, and if only they stop complaining and thinking about the past and try harder, they will get all they want. On the contrary, Bonilla-Silva describes this situation as “color-blind racism” (2). Let us examine which of these parties, in fact, is right.
To start with, it should be admitted that an overall picture in the US is rather hopeful now, and many changes can be seen. While only 66 percent of the older generation (65 years old and more) approve interracial marriages, almost hundred present (97%) of Americans at the age from 18 to 29 years have absolutely nothing against those, which proves that times have changed, and the current generation does make a difference (Becker par. 2). The actual number of marriages between blacks and whites has also increased (Becker par. 3).
The level of income of African-Americans, Hispanic, and Asians has risen, and poverty rates have lowered (Becker par. 8). Almost a hundred percent of the population are willing to vote for a black president, which is proven by the fact that now America already has one (Becker par. 9). Finally, in comparison with other countries all over the world, the US is rather tolerant (Becker par. 5).
Nevertheless, even though many changes can be seen, racial discrimination still exists at some levels. And one of the fields where black Americans most commonly face discrimination in employment.
According to Becker, the unemployment rate for black Americans has decreased in comparison with previous years (par. 7). For example, in 1982, it was approximately 19%, and in 2012, it fell to 14% (Becker par. 7). However, this rate is still higher than for whites: 8% in 1982, and 6% in 2012 (Becker par. 7). Besides, according to Bonilla-Silva, an average black person in America earns about 40% less than an average white person does (2). Dark-skinned is also about three times more likely to face poverty (Bonilla-Silva, 2).
In questions concerning racial discrimination, it is very hard to present information objectively and separate racial discrimination from other factors. For example, as it has already been said before, African-Americans in the US earn less than whites do.
Perhaps, it is proof of discrimination, but maybe it is not. Let us look at this situation from a different angle. As Mullainathan states, African-Americans are more likely to live in their neighborhoods where schools are worse, and job opportunities are poorer (par. 3). So, maybe this factor, a territorial one, is responsible for lower incomes.
Nevertheless, even if the rest of the factors are separated, the results remain rather disturbing. As proof, Mullainathan talked about a study, which he conducted with his colleague (par. 4). They created thousands of resumes and sent those to different employers, but for half of them, they used “stereotypically African-American names,” and for the second half, they used “stereotypically white names” (Mullainathan par. 4).
The study yielded the following results: the same resume was almost twice more likely to be selected for callbacks if it contained a white name (Mullainathan par. 5). Coates gives even more interesting information. In his article, he states that “black job applicants without criminal records enjoy roughly the same chance of getting hired as white applicants with criminal records” (Coates par. 142). He also claims that it is much harder for black college graduates to find a decent job (Coates par. 142).
What is even more surprising, the graduates from top universities, such as Stanford or Harvard, face discrimination as well (Dunn par. 1). Dunn states that there are divergences not only in the number of callbacks, which black and white people with the same degree from the same elite university receive but in the offered starting salaries as well (par. 1).
Therefore, although the blacks who graduate from the top universities have priority over those who have degrees from less honorable educational establishments, they still do not have any priority over whites who have the same degree. Finally, even when a black person gets a job, there are still many barriers in the workplace. For example, it can be harder to be promoted, and the attitude on the part of colleagues is not always polite (Feagin and McKinney 26).
To examine this problem from the inside, I have interviewed the African-American from Chicago. An interview was conducted through Skype, and an interviewee wished to remain anonymous. Therefore, I have changed his name.
Firstly, I asked David Washington if he could agree that racial discrimination had been already defeated in America. He said he doubted it. Still, he admitted that the previous generations felt much more pressure. As an example, he talks about his father or grandfather.
David’s grandfather once was told that he owed 3,500$ of taxes, and he could not even contest this claim since he could not read, did not have any lawyer, and the protection of the courthouse was poor. So, his land and many of his livestock were just seized. It was not much easier for David’s father, who was working three jobs just to be able to afford the housing.
As for the present-day situation, “the difference is huge” (Washington). David does not have to work three jobs to make ends meet. One is enough. However, it cost him every effort and dozens of applications to get it. Besides, even now, when he finally has the job, it is “not so quietly in the workplace” (Washington). David says that the hardest thing is the attitude towards him.
Even if managers are polite (since they care about the reputation of the firm), it is a usual thing to be treated impolitely by the co-workers. Sometimes he can ignore it, sometimes he can not. Admittedly, it is not limited to the workplace. The same happens in shops or cafes, or even just on the street – “it depends on people, not places” (Washington).
My interviewee also agrees with the concept of racism without racists defined by Bonilla-Silva in his book. David says that he does not know “how to name it,” but there are still many of those who do not consider themselves racists and at the same time, use every opportunity to remind people that they are black (Washington). He says that to cope with this, he just tries to leave it behind. Surely, it does not always work, especially when his family or close friends are insulted.
He admits that it is “the hardest thing” for him (Washington). But when it is only about him, he just tries to leave it behind and remind himself that there are more important things in his life, and those help to move on. “However, every time I leave my house, I have to remind myself that I am black, and I have to be on the alert every minute” (Washington). Frankly speaking, I was impressed by those words.
The last thing we have talked about is black racism and the popular belief that black people take every opportunity to play “the race card,” although nobody discriminates them anymore (Bonilla-Silva 1). To my surprise, David admits that such situations really exist.
However, those are rare. He also claims that he never does this: “That race card is too painful for my family and me to play it at every opportunity. We would rather prefer to leave it behind once and for all that to be reminded of it again, and we would definitely never use it to get something that we want” (Washington).
Although my interviewee does not tell about serious cases of discrimination against him, unfortunately, those are not rare in the work environment. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides many examples of overt, subtle, and implicit discrimination based on race and color, from 1964 to the twenty-first century (par. 1).
In 2003, a black waiter complained about being discriminated (and terminated when he tried to complain about it) by his light-skinned manager on the basis of his dark skin color; the case EEOC v. Applebee’s Int’l Inc. ended with a settlement, and the restaurant chain paid $40,000 to the offended man (EEOC par. 13). In 2006, John Pickle Co., Inc. was sued for human trafficking, enslavement, and job segregation based on race and color discrimination (EEOC par. 13).
In 2009, the EEOC proved that a white female manager in Family Dollar Stores, Inc. discriminated against a dark-skinned female employee, doing her work in a hostile environment and repeatedly calling her “black as charcoal” until the woman finally resigned from her position (par. 13). The case EEOC v. Rugo Stone of 2012 tells about a Pakistani who faced discrimination based on his origins, religion, and color.
The assistant project manager regularly told the man that he was “the same color as human feces,” that his religion was “f—ing crazy,” and all Muslims were “monkeys” (EEOC par. 13).
This year, the EEOC has filed the lawsuit against Pioneer Hotel, Inc., white supervisors and employees of which continually discriminated against brown-skinned Latino workers, commenting on their national origins and race and prohibiting them from talking Spanish, even during break times (par. 13). As can be seen, although my interviewee, David Washington, has told that managers and supervisors rarely show any prejudice against their employees, all cases described above involve managers.
There are many legislations that prohibit any type of discrimination in the US. First of all, that is the Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights, which provides “equal protection of the laws” for all citizens (“14th Amendment” par. 1). Additionally, there are many laws that address bias in the workplace. Those are enforced by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the main task of which is to address any type of discrimination against employees and job applicants.
All of the lawsuits described above was filed on the basis of the violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that makes discrimination because of national origin, religion, race, color, or sex illegal (“Laws Enforced by EEOC” par. 1). It also prohibits retaliation against an individual who tries to complain about discrimination (“Laws Enforced by EEOC” par. 1). Other legislation, which addresses the issue of retaliation, is the Wrongful termination law that prohibits illegal dismissals from work (“Wrongful Termination” par. 1).
One of the reasons to claim that the dismissal is illegal is discrimination (“Wrongful Termination” par. 1). The prime example of wrongful termination and retaliation bases on the attempts of an individual to complain about discrimination in the case against Applebee’s Int’l Inc., described above.
So, it is not the times of Killing the Mockingbird, when even if all the evidence shows that the black is not guilty, he is still convicted to death. Presently, a lot of legislations exist, and if an individual faces discrimination in the workplace, he or she can complain about it and be protected by the law.
However, racial bias still exists – in 2012, almost 100,000 discrimination claims were filed in accordance with the information provided by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Finn par. 1). The reasons and causes of it vary widely, and the majority of them are psychological.
First of all, there is xenophobia, a fear of individuals who are different. Some people just need to feel superior to others and dominate. Another strong factor is upbringing. An individual’s character, values, and views begin to form in childhood and often remain lifelong. Education and teachers have almost the same power. The prime example is history, which is written by people, and so can be revised, rewritten, and misinterpreted. The next cause of racism is the stratification of society.
Although the absence of this stratification will lead to disorder and even anarchy, its existence is a step towards the racial discrimination, because people begin to divide the society not only into rich and poor but also into the whites and the blacks, Christians, and Jews, etc. The demarcation among nations has its effects as well.
The majority of African countries are often called Third-World countries or developing ones. Although the term developing still sounds normal and even dignified, it implies that the First-World countries are better. Even economics and politics can make a difference. The prime example is the immigration policy, which officially justifies the hostility to foreigners. In many countries, companies and firms are more likely to hire people from their own country instead of immigrants.
Apart from these factors, many are connected directly to the work environment. As a prime example, the absence of diversity training and good behavior modeling in firms and organizations contribute to discrimination in the workplace (Finn par. 3-5). To be able to work with diverse teams of employees, organizational leaders should train them to treat each other respectfully and be free of any prejudice.
To conclude, considering both the results of the literature research and the information that the interviewee has provided, it should be admitted that although some people claim that racism is defeated nowadays, that is still a very controversial question. Racial discrimination still exists at some levels, and the sphere of employment is the best proof of that.
Annotated Bibliography
14th Amendment. Web.
The link provides a review of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights with a brief summary of each of its five sections. Examples of lawsuits filed because of the violation of the Fourteenth Amendment are also presented.
Becker, Kyle. 10 Charts Show How ‘Racist’ America Really Is. 2014. Web.
Becker’s article presents the statistics concerning racial discrimination in America. It consists of ten charts, which are about the employment rates, income and poverty levels, interracial marriages, discrimination of blacks and whites, and the worldwide perspective. The information is easy to read and comprehend.
Bonilla-Silva, Eduardo. Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America. 2nd ed. 2006. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Print.
Nowadays, few people tend to consider themselves as racists. However, discrimination is still present, and it affects every sphere of people’s lives. Bonilla-Silva discusses color-blind thinking, gives statistics and life examples to prove the point, and says that, in some areas, the situation has even regressed.
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. The Case for Reparations. 2014. Web.
In his article, Coates describes the discrimination barriers, which black Americans have faced during the last century, on the example of the life of Clyde Ross, born in 1923. He talks about every sphere of life and gives many proofs (historical events) of racial discrimination.
Dunn, Catherine. Black Graduates From Top Colleges Face Discrimination In Job Search, Salaries, Study Finds. 2015. Web.
The article tells about a study conducted by S. Michael Gaddis. The study proves that even those black Americans who graduate from top universities, such as Stanford, Duke, or even Harvard, face discrimination while searching for a job (fewer responses, lower salaries).
EEOC. Significant EEOC Race/Color Cases. Web.
The document by EEOC describes the most significant causes of the discrimination on the basis of race or color, starting from 1964. Cases include color discrimination, reverse discrimination, biracial and same-race discrimination, etc. Employment practices vary from hiring to retaliation and discharge.
Feagin, Joe R., and Karyn D. McKinney. The Many Costs of Racism, Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2005. Print.
The book is about the impact racism has on our society. It proves that racial discrimination is not in the past and gives many examples of how the middle class of African-Americans still faces it. The book shows how discrimination affects the economy, people’s relations, public health, etc.
Finn, Lisa. Reasons Why Discrimination Continues to Exist in the Workplace 2015. Web.
Although many legislations prohibit discrimination as such and discrimination in the workplace, it still exists on some levels. The author discusses the prime reasons for that, including harassment, generational differences, lack of diverse training, and good behavior modeling.
Laws Enforced by EEOC 2009. Web.
The main goal of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is to enforce a series of legislations that prohibit any type of discrimination in the workplace. Among those acts are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, EPA, ADEA, ADA, and others.
Mullainathan, Sendhi. Racial Bias, Even When We Have Good Intentions. 2015. Web.
A brief and comprehensive article, which tells about studies and surveys conducted to find out whether present-day America still has to deal with racial discrimination. The Mullainathan’s work contains studies in relation to education, employment, and criminal justice.
Wrongful termination. Web.
The link provides a brief summary of the Wrongful termination law, which says that a fired worker can sue for arbitrary discharge in case if his firing was illegal (for example, termination because of discrimination or for retribution).
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