Work and Wisdom - Racism in the Workplace

“It's scary to know that people still live like that in 2017...They don't straight out discriminate or say something racist, it's just the way they tell stories and emphasize that they have black friends among other things.” People face racial discrimination everyday and it is a big reality that a lot of people have to deal with, but it can be an even bigger issue when it happens in the workplace. I interviewed both of my parents on the topic of racial bias and their experiences throughout life at different jobs. I mostly wanted to hear about how things may or may not have changed through the years. Out of the interviews, my parents said that they did not really feel like they were being discriminated against at their jobs, but it isn't something they haven't noticed in small things that happen. Racial harassment is up to record levels in offices and factories across the country, and by that I mean racist graffiti, Klu Klux Klan propaganda and even physical threats. Racial harassment cases have more than doubled since the early 1990s, hitting an all-time  high of 6,977 in 2007, according to EEOC data and it's interesting because nine out of ten of race harassment charges are filed by Blacks. There is a plethora of reasons as to why racial harassment is escalating. Some blame the struggling economy that has caused major job insecurity to more people of color in the workplace while others blame violent video games. “I haven't seen it in it's ugliest form, but I do notice the bias. Some people were chosen to do tasks that they were not necessarily qualified to do, but because of their skin color, they got picked for the job anyway.” From the small things such as certain people doing tasks more than others to full on racial slurs at work or more, racial discrimination is still alive and well today.