The Street Report: Has Being Black Helped or Hindered Your Career?

June 21st, 2011 - By TheEditor

According to a new study by CareerBuilder, 25 percent of Black Americans feel discriminated against in their workplace. That’s a sad statistic and some believe that the real percentage is much higher. TAP correspondent Eno Alfred hit the streets of Brooklyn to find out what’s what when it came to how Blacks felt about the impact of their ethnicity/race on their careers.

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  • Kocolate

    @ DOna – you are so right! Until Black Americans come together as a unit, clean up our neighborhoods, take care of our children, stop all these births of fatherless kids, educate ourselves and pool our money – only then will we be respected as some of the other Ethnic groups are who have done exactly that.

  • Grey Davis

    BLACK PEOPLE. IT'S VERY SIMPLE!!! I HAVE THE SOLUTION! LISTEN UP!!
    IF BLACK PEOPLE UNITE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF 1 MILLION BLACK PEOPLE GIVE JUST 1 DOLLAR A MONTH TO A DEVELOPMENT FUND SPECIFICALLY TO DEVELOP THE BLACK COMMUNITY, THAT WOULD GENERATE 12 MILLON DOLLARS EVERY YEAR!! NOW IMAGINE IF 2 MILLION BLACK PEOPLE DONATED JUST 1 DOLLAR A MONTH. THAT WOULD BE 24 MILLION DOLLARS WE AS A PEOPLE GENERATED IN ONE YEAR TO BE PUT TOWARDS STARTING MORE BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES, DEVELOPING OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR CHILDREN THAT ARE THE FUTURE OF BLACK AMERICA, AND MORE. THE SOLUTION IS TO UNITE FOR CHANGE. AND THE CHANGE BEING JUST 4 QUARTERS A MONTH FROM AS MANY BLACK PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. IF WE COULD GENERATE 24 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR, EVERY YEAR, THAT WOULD BE ALOT OF CHANGING GOING ON, AND IT HAS TO START ASAP, BECAUSE THE ECONOMY FOR US IS GETTING WORSE & WORSE EVERY YEAR. Black people, what do you think about this?

  • Michelle

    Try working for Eli Lilly and Company that is Racism at its worst!

  • DOna

    In my experience it was always another black person trying ruin me, until we stand united we will fall, I see now the mexicans are taking over because they stick together & look out for each other.

    • Whosaidthat

      You are of a brilliant mind. You speak the truth.

  • Shay

    I work in a predominately white human resources office in Ohio, and I am one of two blacks in my department. Being that I live in the Midwest does not mean that African Americans are exempt from racism. I am the only African American in my department that has a B.S. in Human Resources, yet…I have seen more whites (some of which I have trained) get promoted further than myself on the job and none of them have degrees in HR. Racism in the corporate world does exist in the Midwest also, it's just more of a "quiet racism" it's done underhanded and in the dark, very sneaky.

  • http://twitter.com/HarlemsFinest7 @HarlemsFinest7

    True @ 16 and Dreaming and @ Jenna. We have to support ourselves!

  • Jenna

    Interesting comments. We talk & talk, yet we do not practice what we preach. We are NOT supportive of each other and that hinders our ability to succeed. We dissect our selves into smaller sub-communities;while other groups embrace those who look like them. There are communities that lend to each other start up money to start businesses so they don't have to go to banks & get turned down, even with a great business plan.

  • Curious1

    Not in my jobs but in maybe sopme other social opportunities…

  • Nicole

    I’m a black female with BA degrees in Political Science and European History and a law degree. I’m 29, I’ve been practicing since I was 24 and I am currently a criminal defense attorney. I don’t feel that my race has hurt me in my career even though I am definitely in the minority in my profession. I think my gender and age are actually bigger hurdles than my race. I look about 21-22 and clients often don’t take me seriously until they see me in the courtroom. As far as other attorneys, most criminal attorneys are men and they don’t take females too seriously either. There is definitely an “old boys club” in my profession but it’s not necessarily about race.

    • BlackANDProud

      it's an "old [white] boys club" and you know that. race has always been relentlessly relevant in the allocation of societal benefits and its burdens in America.

  • lively09

    It's a double-edge sword. I live on the West Coast, so racism is everywhere. I have a B.A. and working on my Masters in Business. I've been laid-off three times in my life, and have been passed up for jobs due to my race. I don't let it hinder my accomplishments, because with over 20 years of working I can use these skills to start my own business. Yes, it does sting when it happens, but you have to rise above it. Our ancestors endured so much racism, death, and sacrifice for us. Whatever doesn't kill you, will make you stronger.

    • grey eyed girl

      This is why I am self employed; having your own business makes dealing with racist pigs alot more easier. None of my siblings work for anyone; NONE OF US. We were taught to get our education and then start our own businesses.

  • TooBlack4U

    Yes and No. In Detroit, being Black helped me. I currently reside in San Diego, its nothing but a hinderance. Not many Black teachers in San Diego Unified. Even advocating for the needs of African American students, who constantly fall in sub-group for standardized testing, is frowned upon. As soon as you say "African American" students… people say "you can't alienate others." I feel Latino students receive a little extra support through English Language Learner support. Black students… nothing. It hurts.

    • Monica

      I have a question for you, I am from NY but I recently went to San Diego to visit and I felt like there was an undercurrent of racism there, but I wasn't sure if I was bugging out. Since you now live there, do you feel like San Diego does have some sort of racism against blacks?

      • ImTom

        Monica, I currently live in San Diego, and everything these people have been saying about Texas, just excerpt California in there, especially San diego. This is the Most Racist city I have ever lived in and I am originally from the South. These people do not hide their feelings toward blacks in particular, even the police will give you mean looks, i just survived a court appearance where I was lied upon and brought up on criminal charges 4 BEING BLACK. I am now contiplating whether to move back up North East or Florida, this board is helping me with that decision. Just dont say you were not warned.

  • Damaged by Racism

    Umm yes, I am an African American female with an Engineering degree from a Big 10 University and an MBA with experience in Cost Accounting (a white, male dominated field)..worked for a company for 3 months and got fired for "no reason"…my ex co-workers were not black and did not have any education, they were jealous and made up lies to managment about me and got me fired. I think I had more education than management too…But any rate, this ish would not have happened if I was white…An accomplished African American female with the experience I had, racist than a "you know what"…in the state of Texas too. Message to all you accomplished African American's "DON"T MOVE TO TEXAS"…it's still racist and backwards here and has not changed. Thanks to moving here, my life has turned upside down. It's been 2 years and I'm still not over it..This Racism is no joke..

  • Pissed and getting the hell outta Texas

    Definetly, in my case. I’m an African American female with an Engineering Degree and a Master’s Degree with 6 years of cost accounting experience. Worked for a company has an accountant for 3 months and got fired because the people I worked with were not the same color as me with my credentials, made up lies about me to management and got me fired. I think I had more than management too. But fact remains if I was white that would not have happened, oh yeah and live in Texas too. Granted there’s racism everywhere, but this ish would not have happened somewhere else like the Midwest or East Coast. F..The south…I’m outta here. To all you accomplished African American’s…Don’t move to Texas…They will ruin your life!

    • 16 and dreaming

      Well Black America generates about 900 billion to 1 trillion dollars annually, I wonder would we have this issue if we invested this money within our own community and businesses? However the same ppl complaining about being discriminated against are the same ppl that will argue you down and tell you how racist supporting Black own businesses is. However ever other minority group that comes here KNOWS that they are a MINORITY, so in order to COMPETE with the masses(white folks) they have to make their dollars work for THEIR community. That is why you have so many China towns, Korea Towns, Little Indias, Little Tokyo's, whole cities that are ran by curtain ethnic groups (Glendale, CA-Armenians, Cerritos, CA-Indians, Koreans, Arabs etc), they build their own community so they can put their people to work. I truly do not no why this does not register in the minds of Black America. Carter G Woodson said Black will soon face an Economic extermination, No one Knows who the hell Dr. Claude Anderson or George Fraser is. With unemployment reaching to "Great Depression" levels within Black America, we have put ourselves between a rock and a hard place.

    • Never Again

      You are exactly correct. I gave Houston and Dallas between the two, 9 years. The racism is…….Wow!!!! Came back up North, its here but not like TX.

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