Reflection paper
lbazz
africanamericanpt1.pptxExamining Specific Groups and Categories
Blacks/African Americans
Slavery
Complete deprivation of civil and personal rights – legal for close to 150 years in the US (until Emancipation Proclamation)
Jim Crow laws from 1860s (until 1960s in some places)
Formal, legally sanctioned segregation
Separate is not equal – inferior, substandard education, transportation, accommodations, and even burial for Blacks and Whites
Timeline of Events
1619
First African Slaves arrive in Virginia
1789
US Constitution ratified; equates a slave to 3/5 of a white citizen
1857
US Supreme Court rules slavery is legal (Dred Scott Decision)
1861
Civil War begins
Timeline of Events
1863
Emancipation Proclamation
1865
13th Amendment abolishes slavery
1868
14th Amendment: African-Americans full citizenship
1870
15th Amendment: African-American men the right to vote
1884
Jim Crow laws appear in South and West
Timeline of Events
1954
Supreme Court unanimously declares separate is inherently unequal, and violates 14th amendment
1963
Equal Pay Act passed
1964
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
Population
Over 41 million Blacks in U.S. (13.5% population)
Relatively young – 80% under 50; 30% age 18 or younger
Higher than average birth rates
Shorter life expectancy
Lower access to health care
Crime
Poverty
Stress related to discrimination
Organizations and Racial Balance
Younger population means more Blacks will enter the work force in future
To fully use the assets possessed by this large segment of population
Create environments that welcome and provide opportunities
Eliminate discrimination, segregation, and exclusion
Education, Employment, and Earnings
1954 Supreme Court decision Brown versus Board of Education of Topeka
Outlawed “separate but equal”
Ruling caused increases in black education
1940, 7.7% blacks; 26.1% whites completed at least high school
2002, 80% blacks; 89% of whites
Still a lag in education –
At lowest education levels, higher proportion of blacks
At higher education levels, higher proportion of whites
Unemployment Level by Educational Attainment – U.S. Census Data
| Education Level | Black Unemployment | White Unemployment |
| Less than High School | 21.3% | 13.9% |
| High School | 14% | 9% |
| Some College | 12.1% | 7.9% |
| Associate’s Degree | 10.3% | 6.2% |
| Bachelor’s Degree or Higher | 7.3% | 4.2% |
| Year: 2008 Population 25 years and older |
Education, Employment, and Earnings
Educational Return on Investment (EROI)
Measure of discrimination
Examine income by race or gender, holding education level constant
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Education, Employment, and Earnings
Rankings of earnings for those with bachelor’s degrees (US Census Data, 2008)
White Males ($80,000)
Asian Males ($69,000)
Hispanic Males ($59,000)
Black Males ($53,000)
Asian Females ($50,000)
White Females ($46,000)
Black Females ($44,000)
Hispanic Females ($41,000)
African-American Workforce Participation Rates
Pattern of underemployment and unemployment
Return on education (earnings by educational attainment) suggests that Blacks still experience discrimination in workplace
Research on Employment Experiences of African Americans
Access Discrimination – denied employment opportunities
Common experience of African Americans due to stereotypes, prejudice, or because names “sound black”
Treatment Discrimination – employed, but treated differently
Research on Employment Experiences of African Americans
Multiple studies using Black, Latino, and White job seekers
matched credentials (field of study, grades, school attended, GPA)
Blacks & Latinos fared worse than Whites 20% of the time
Research on Employment Experiences of African Americans – Black and White Sounding Names (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2004)
Keisha
Tamika
Tanisha
LaToya
Ebony
Darnell
Jermaine
Rasheed
Jamal
Tyrone
Allison
Anne
Carrie
Jill
Laurie
Brendan
David
Brad
Brett
Matthew
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Research on Employment Experiences of African Americans
Black and White sounding names
(Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2004) – well matched applicants
Those with names common to Blacks (Lakisha, Jamal) 50% less likely to be called for interviews than those with names common to Whites.
“White-sounding” names –
When increased credentials, increased # of calls
“Black-sounding” names –
When increased credentials, did not increase # of calls
Research on Employment Experiences of African Americans
Effect of Criminal Record and Race on Job Search Outcomes (author: Pager)
Pairs of well matched applicants to apply for 350 real advertising jobs
Two teams of black applicants; two teams of white applicants
Well-groomed, college-educated men, identical resumes
Manipulation: one member of each pair reported that he was a convicted felon (18 months in jail for cocaine possession)
Research on Employment Experiences of African Americans
Call back rates:
Black, criminal record 5%
Black, no criminal record 14%
White, criminal record 17%
White, no criminal record 34%
Research on Employment Experiences of African Americans
Study (Holzer, 1998) examining employers in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, and LA
Size of companies broken down into categories based on # of employees
(1-14) (15-49) (50-99) (100-499) (500 or more)
Smaller companies hire much smaller proportion of blacks who apply than larger companies
Larger companies more likely to have:
Formal hiring practices
Affirmative action programs
African-American Women in Workplace
Misperceptions about employment:
Throughout history Black women have been more likely to work outside of the home than women of any other group
Sharp contrast to perception that unwilling to work or poor work ethic
African-American Women in Workplace
Misperception about Black women missing work (Browne & Kenneth, 1999)
Employers expected Black women to miss work due to being single mothers
Black and White women are likely to have about 2 children each
Negative perceptions persisted despite evidence to the contrary
Rather than viewing Black women with good attendance as having a strong work ethic, attributed as “being desperate for money”
Summary
African-Americans
Evidence of Access and Treatment Discrimination in the Workplace
Next – research on African-American managers’ career development in organizations; what can be done to break the glass ceiling
