@ChangeTheGame I was actually wondering that very thing…I wouldn’t be surprised if it has something to do with the law suit.
As it relates to these facts posted by @OhiBro in response to the article you posted, on the topic of blacks and employment…
25 years ago, I was the manager of a sales force for a fortune 500 company in Manhattan. My team was mostly made up of young, recent white male college grads. I am white and had only been out of college for 5 years, so many of my team members were my peers and we became very friendly. There were also two black women who were a little older than me (late 30’s ish) who I became very friendly with as well. The office we worked in was overall very white. Probably 80-90%.
My subordinates could be either level ones or level twos. There was incentive to become a level two (pay raise, and just overall career progression). The other managers and I typically advocated for our subordinates and tried to get the deserving ones promoted when the time was right. They were usually quite motivated to do so and we would have frequent meetings to make sure they were meeting the requirements to move towards promotion.
One of the black women on my team had been there longer than any of us. She was a solid performer. She was at her desk before everyone else every day and never left early. She was completely reliable and her clients loved her. I never understood why she wasn’t already a level two when I started.
So I treated her just like everyone else and she progressed to a level two, as she totally deserved to (and was overdue in my opinion). Even my boss (an obnoxious white woman who I eventually helped get demoted because she was a discriminatory horror) who had to approve all of the promotions was completely supportive of the promotion for this woman on my team. There wasn’t one bad thing to say about her. She was steady as a rock.
A few days after her promotion she came to my office with a little potted plant for me as a gift. With tears in her eyes she gave it to me and said that no one had ever done so much to help her before. I was shocked because I was just treating her like everyone else, but I guess, for whatever reason, she wasn’t used to that treatment and certainly wasn’t expecting it.
I’m still confused by what happened and why no one ever moved her through the promotion process before. She obviously felt “different”. She probably could have been more aggressive in seeking out her promotion, but for some reason she wasn’t. She was just lost in the shuffle, waiting for her turn. It was almost like she just assumed she wasn’t going to get it. But she was thrilled to finally get it.
This was just one person, obviously. But an experience I will never forget and still think about to this day.
Another very interesting thing that happened this same year. The woman I promoted and the other black woman on my team came to my office the day they were announcing the OJ Simpson decision. Like I said, we were close. They obviously felt close enough to me to ask if we could put the radio on and listen to the verdict in my office with the door closed. When he was found “not-guilty”, they cheered. I was shocked that he wasn’t guilty. I didn’t know what to expect or do, but I almost felt like I should congratulate them, crazy as that sounds. They were so happy…I think they knew that he was guilty, but they felt his vindication was something to celebrate. Like they beat the system that has been oppressive (but ironically, probably really just a testimony to how having money can get you out of crimes!)…I felt conflicted. Shocked and disappointed by the verdict, but happy for my friends. It was honestly one of the strangest moments in my life.
I’m honestly not even sure what to make of either of these stories that I just shared. I just know they have made a permanent impression on my mind and given the context of our discussions, that ot