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The Pros And Cons Of Hiring African Americans

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Shantel, Keisha, Keonte’, Latoya, and Mo’Nique are all black sounding names that will not get someone hired at certain jobs. Raven-Symone’ was recently interviewed on a talk show named The View and said that she would not hire an African American if their name sounded too black, in other words, ghetto. “The diversification of baby names in America started in the late 1960s during a larger socio cultural shift that emphasized individuality” (Jerkins). African Americans are always judged by their skin color, their race, and now their name. Many employers are bias against African Americans without even knowing that they are. Some employers do not hire African Americans whether it is based on their names, or because of their appearance; if their …show more content…

In Carissa Romero debate column “Employers Should Actively Weigh Social Barriers” she stated how employers would rather hire people that is not as qualified as someone that has a ‘misleading’ name. Romero also used an analogy that came from a social psychologist, Greg Walton, about how African Americans will work to their full potential at all times because they have been through many trials and tribulations to just be respected. Since African Americans are so unrepresented and have to go through a lot just to get small jobs they know they have to do their absolute best to stay at a high quality job. Some employers no longer look at workers qualifications but their names’ instead. Some people could have a ‘misleading’ name but are highly qualified in their field of interest but will not get the opportunity. Some African American names are really important to some; some names are from the African origin. Some names could come from parents backgrounds or some achievements they have made. Keonte’ is a name that is black sounding but that also mean brave warrior. Another name that is a common name is Diamonte which means Diamond in spanish. According to Morgan Jerkins in her debate column “Appreciate the History of Names to Root out Stigma” a study showed that teachers would have a lower expectation for kids with unusually spelled names like Da’Quan, even when compared to their siblings with "less black-sounding names like Damarcus, but that is just a stereotype. I personally know many people with black sounding names that is just as smart, and possible smarter, than me. Many African Americans may not act like they’re as smart as they are, but that does not give people the ability to lower their expectations of them. People are basing kids failure or success based upon their name and the spelling of their name. Jerkins also stated, “black-sounding names are not only racist but

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The pressure is high for an African American due to discrimination and stereotypes. An example by Nitti can illustrate this statement “African Americans are more likely to be victims of jobless discrimination because their unemployment rate is 16.7 percent - more than twice that of whites. In a story about discrimination against the unemployed” (Nittle, 2011, p. 53). Even though the government does not officially “discriminate against the jobless as it does to women, racial minority groups, and people with disabilities, such bias may violate civil rights laws if it has a disparate impact on people of color” (Nittle, 2011, p. 53). Employers may at times view people of color as being attitudinally defiant about negative stereotypes and want to avoid hiring those who might propagate a racial

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The same is true for African American individuals in the work force. The workforce claims to give everyone a fair and equal hand, but often times African Americans are given the short end of the stick. This lack of opportunity leads me to question the structural conditions that have created cultural patterns that reinforce disadvantage. The structural issues of inequality in the workforce lead many individuals to have a stigma towards African American individuals. This stigma taint’s society’s view towards this group and allows them to make judgements on other aspects of their lives.

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In Walter Mosley 's fictional short story, "Equal Opportunity" (1995), he describes employment discrimination through the character of Socrates Fortlow, an African American ex-convict attempting to find employment. Socrates lives in an abandoned building in Los Angeles neighborhood called Watts. He has been out of “prison eight years, fifty-eight years old, and ready to start life over again,” (Mosley 1). Socrates faces several conflicts, attempting to gain employment, because of his (1) age, (2) race, and (3) where he lives. He has to travel far to look for a job because everyone on his side of town, especially, Crenshaw and Washington, both store owners in Watts, knew that he collected bottles and cans for money and “they would not hire

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Why is being called a “Nigger” so hurtful for African Americans currently to date? Being called a, “Nigger” means to be called ignorant, dark-skinned, or of African descent. To this day, we’re still being called that awful word although it is not to be used anymore. It is a racial slur that should never be used and if it is used should be high consequences. This is the biggest insult to Black people everywhere.

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No one will employ me; white boys won't work with me... no one will have me in his office... Can you be surprised at my discouragement?” (Doc L) Even a young man with incredible academic skills and potential was treated as a burden rather than a blessing. But, because he was an African American, he wasn’t considered special or great.

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Can you be surprised at my discouragement?” This young African American was first in his class and that means nothing because he is black. Even though he was top of his class, his job choices were restricted because white people won’t employ him or work with him. This is one example that shows that blacks way of acquiring an income was cut off no matter how educated or experienced they

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Racism has been debated throughout all of the years of American history and to this day is still accused of being a problem. According to Cynthia Silva Parker, she says that “racism is a system of advantages and disadvantages based on race” (Racism -- What Will It Take to End It?). In the video, she states that it is present externally and internally every day. She makes the statement that a hiring manager is more likely to interview someone whose name on a resume says “John” over someone named “Jamal” even though they have the same qualifications. But eight years ago, America elected a black President, providing the evidence that if racism was truly a problem we never would have allowed an African American to run our country over his opponent, whom was a white male with the same qualifications.

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Half of the names were white sounding while the other half were black sounding. The study showed that the white names were about 50% more likely to get a job

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In Walter Mosley's fictional short story, "Equal Opportunity" (1995), he describes racial discrimination through the character of Socrates Fortlow, an African American ex-convict attempting to find employment. Socrates has been out of “prison eight years and is fifty-eight years old, he is ready to start life over again,” (Mosley 1). Socrates Fortlow, the convict much like Socrates the philosopher “struggles with questions of good and evil with the seriousness suggested by his name.” (Mosley 2625).

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Whites lead the number of employments (with less than a high school diploma) at 7,879,000, while blacks (1,069,000), Asians (500,000) and Hispanic (5,472,000) fall behind. Unemployment rates in colored people (Black: 8.4%, Hispanic: 5.8%) are higher than that of white (4.3%) as they have been through history. The unemployment rates of those with a Bachelor’s degree or higher are more prominent in blacks (3.7%) than Asians (2.8%), Hispanic (3.1%) and whites (2.3%). These results conclude that racism creates employment discrimination in the US economy. The reasoning for this discrimination is formed by the need for white laborers to secure the “materials and the symbolic aspects of their social position.”

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Nigga has been so popularized by the media that it no longer holds much contempt to it. In fact people of color sometimes call each other "my nigga" to express a bond or a brothership. You also seem to forget we are in a minecraft server; we don 't know the ethnicity of the players therefore it really can 't be used to discriminate against a black person. And for the record, dehumanization certainly would not apply to a word like "nigga".

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A study indicates that dark-skinned African Americans face a distinct disadvantage when applying for jobs. Matthew Harrison, a doctoral student at UGA undertook the first significant study of "colorism" in the workplace. He found that a light-skinned black male can have only a bachelor's degree and typical work experience and still be preferred over a dark-skinned black male with an M.B.A. and past managerial positions, simply because expectations of the light-skinned black male are much higher, and he doesn't appear as “menacing' as the darker-skinned male applicant.” This finding is possibly due to the common belief that fair-skinned blacks probably have more similarities with whites than do dark-skinned blacks, which in turn makes whites feel more comfortable around them. (Harrison

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In the job market, applicants with exotic names, names often associated with minorities, are less likely to get a call for an interview. However, privilege does not have to pertain just to race. As in the case of Judith Shakespeare, it can relate to one’s gender. Even today, I hear stories of sons who are afforded more time in their curfew because they “can’t get pregnant like their sister.” Those same parents give their sons priority in their careers—college funds, etc.—because they are the “bread winners” and the daughter’s job is to find a nice boy with a decent career to marry.

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