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Jul 21, 2020
Brenda R. Smyth, Supervisor of Content Creation
Tired of hearing about racism, diversity and bias? Imagine what our Black work colleagues and friends feel in workplaces where they are often in the minority. Taking steps toward a more inclusive, less racist workplace begins with self-awareness and an understanding of the privileges and power white people take for granted. It means uncovering and combatting our own unconscious bias, stopping racism whenever we see it, and educating ourselves by reading and listening.
Black Americans have been experiencing and fighting for justice and equality for decades. But the most recent events and protests have many of us wondering how we can best support work colleagues and friends who are Black or fall into other marginalized groups.
What can we do to become stronger advocates and allies?
In professional settings African-Americans are often overwhelmingly outnumbered by white people. According to hbr.org, “… Black people account for 12% of the U.S. workforce, close to their 13.4% representation in the general population.” Those numbers, however, fall significantly at higher levels with “just 8% of managers and 3.8% of CEOs being Black.”
This underrepresentation has obvious effects on income … and with it … housing, access to quality schools and education, retirement savings, and much more.
But, in addition to economic impact, being the minority at work comes with challenges and emotional costs, says Adia Harvey Wingfield for theatlantic.com.
Wingfield references research by Carbado and Bulati that indicates that minority professionals feel they often must tread cautiously at work to avoid upsetting the majority group’s sensibilities — “they can be visibly Black, but don’t want to be perceived as stereotypically Black.” They also have difficulty finding mentors of the same race, coping with stereotypes and being treated as a representative for their entire race.
Cases of workplace race discrimination continue, with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reporting 23,976 race discrimination charges in 2019. This includes hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, benefits, as well as outright harassment or work policies that discriminate.
Subtle racism and microaggressions also continue, prompting a renewed focus on diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias, making workplaces taxing for Black workers, who feel they can’t be authentic at work.
Find out more about Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace at the virtual, instructor-led seminar.
There are things each of us can do to eradicate racism and support our colleagues and friends. Don’t avoid these issues. Become more self-aware, learn about the issues and step up when you need to.
Brenda R. Smyth
Supervisor of Content Creation
Brenda Smyth is supervisor of content creation at SkillPath. Drawing from 20-plus years of business and management experience, her writings have appeared on Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com and Training Industry Magazine.
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