Racism…It’s far deeper than that!

There are so many conversations swirling these days regarding people of color not getting a fair chance in climbing the corporate ladder. I have spent years watching that dynamic playout in the workforce–in the military, in civilian government and as a Human Resources professional in the private sector. Although many will argue to the contrary, given the history of our country, what people of color are experiencing makes perfect sense. Even without labeling the behavior as outright racism, there are good reasons to believe their experiences are spot on:

1. Relationships. People of color for obvious reasons have less family members or long-term acquaintances in ownership or management. Whether we are talking about employment, educational admissions, or other situations, usually if you come to the table with a favorable prior relationship, you have an edge in the process. Per the Pew Research Center, even though the census showed 14% in ownership in recent years, in 2020, majority-owned by Black or African American people accounted for only 3% of all U.S. firms that were classifiable by the race and ethnicity of their owners. Hispanic ownership was less. Studies also show whites dominate managerial positions with non-whites lagging far behind.
2. Affirmative Action Myth. I can honestly say, I have never seen a person of color hired over a white person with equal or better qualifications. The myth is this phenomenon occurs with great frequency…I am sure it happens, but it is rare. And it is certainly rare south of the Mason-Dixon Line. And yet, discourse regarding affirmative action usually triggers anger and negativity as if it is pervasive in the workforce and education. The recent conversations around legacy admissions showed affirmative action in college admissions being far more prevalent than admissions programs related to race and ethnicity. But what affirmative action did do is make companies less blatant about overlooking a person of color who had equal or better qualifications. My observation has been that far more often than not, even with legislation, that goal was often skirted…I believe “fit” to be the most often used word in avoiding a better qualified candidate.
3. Bias. No doubt, there were times when a person of color was hired or promoted and did not cut the mustard…but when a white person doesn’t make it, that does not make people more tentative about hiring or promoting the next white person. There many reasons a person may fail at their job, but often when a person of color fails it is attributed to the entire culture (there goes that affirmative action again) …especially when a company hires few people of color.
4. Mentoring and Training. Mentoring and helping is another factor…people tend to help more when they want someone to succeed. If they have supporters in management, that too can influence the desire to ensure success. Training and mentoring can overcome many shortcomings; this is why those considered to be a better “fit” although they possessed lesser qualifications often succeed. Conversely, the lack of mentoring and training often contributes to the failure of those who do not have an adequate commitment in the company for them to succeed.

It is so much more than what it seems and sometimes it is a dynamic that cannot be labeled as simply racism…it’s far deeper than that. That is why eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs is a mistake. The intent of such programs is not to make people feel bad but to recognize and change behaviors that are not conducive to those concepts. It is why it is important that people know the history of this country and why revising history is a mistake. History is the measure by which we remember our mistakes, our triumphs, and the work we haven’t finished.  It’s far deeper than that.