Contrary to popular belief, black professionals aren't fans of affirmative action, says CNN columnist LZ Granderson. That's because they've grown tired of others assuming that affirmative is the sole reason they've succeeded in their careers.
"It's insulting, it's demeaning and there's not a damn thing we can do about it, because as long as race is part of the qualification metric, the perception that the bar was lowered so that we could jump over it will persist," Granderson says in a new column.
He also points out how even a wealthy, powerful white man such as Mitt Romney joked this past spring that he'd have a better shot of winning the presidential race if he were Mexican. In reality Latinos and African Americans consistently have higher unemployment rates than whites do. Considering that the federal government classifies unemployed people as those who are actively searching for work, that means in September 2012 the percentage of black jobseekers was double that of white jobseekers. Why is this the case if affirmative action has ushered legions of minorities into jobs they don't deserve? You'd think that if people of color had it so good with affirmative action the white unemployment rate would be the nation's highest. After all, so many white people are being discriminated against because of affirmative action.
If it's not clear, I'm being sarcastic. I've simply grown tired of hearing about affirmative action victimizing whites when research on employment discrimination has shown that being a person of color is far more of a liability on the job hunt than being white is. Research has shown that job applicants of color are routinely discriminated against even when they have the same professional qualifications as whites. Employers have discriminated against minorities for having "ethnic" sounding names, the zip codes they live in and the credit scores they have. What's more, even when people of color do find work, employers typically pay them less than their white counterparts and don't promote them as much. So, how exactly are minorities cashing in on affirmative action?
I, for one, don't have a problem with affirmative action. I have a problem with the perceptions surrounding it. Whenever the affirmative action debate comes up, it's assumed that the minority in the equation is unqualified. But University of Chicago researchers have found that even when job candidates are equally qualified, the minority applicant is the one least likely to receive a callback from a potential employer. That said, it's not time to do away with affirmative action. It's time to revamp affirmative action so that it's more effective in countering discrimination.
Comments
And it’s ironic that so many whites assume that affirmative action helps only people of color. White students were the beneficiaries of affirmative action at UCLA and other schools for years, but they (conservative white opponents of affirmative action) seem to pretend that didn’t happen.
I live in the racist state, Arizona: Affirmative Action needs monitoring. They will go through 6 black people per yer for the same job opening because they don’t like having you there. I was once let go for no real reason and a native American woman, less qualified, was put in my position. There needs to be a mandatory probation of 6 months so they won’t fire you for not smiling after two weeks. Personally, it’s too blanketed, give people a chance to get a job without it, when they can’t, then have them apply at the DES office for some kind of document to carry to the companies they think discriminated against them, I think that is why nothing has changed in 40 years: Lack of Oversight & Giving The Help Without It Being Asked For!
I understand that there might still be a need for some kind of leverage to get a job, but it won’t change attitudes in another 50 years without oversight, and without being used by people who have reason to believe they really need it. I would prefer to use my charm and personality to get people to want me there, not a government mandate based upon the color of my skin. I suggest pulling it back for specific situations. Get a document at DES to return to every employer who you feel discriminated against you for leverage to get a foot in the door, then the oversight will require they keep you and work with you to train for at least 6 months before they can legally fire you. All they do in Arizona is treat you like a piece of trash and hurt your feelings, they go through 20 minorities a year for the same job, and no one does anything, they have a field day making minorities feel like losers.