As usual, I offered a cordial greeting and welcomed the new guy to the company.
As he walked away my heart sank a bit. Why? Because he looked like everybody else who comes on board -- not just at my current company, but in practically every company I've worked for. He was a young White male. Ok...even if he weren't young, he'd still be typical because he's a White male. Oh, and even if he weren't a White male, he's still White.
Most of the companies I've worked for are "diverse," yet Black people are ALWAYS the lowest on the diversity pole, and Black MEN are virtually non-existent.
So I'm always left asking myself the question, "Where are the Black MEN in the workplace?"
Surely there are qualified Black MEN out there who can do what I do. Yet why aren't there any in my position, or in any of the positions I've held?
I just don't understand, and it's quite disheartening. At this very moment, if I think about the Black people that work in my current department, we are all women, and there are only a handful of us.
When I think back to how many there were at my job before this current one -- I was the only one.
If we go back to the job before that one -- I was the only one.
So again I ask, "Where are the Black MEN in the workplace?"
I know that there are many qualified Black MEN out there. So what's happening? Are they not applying? Are they applying, but not getting called for interviews? Are they getting interviews but not getting offered the job? I REALLY WANNA KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
How 'bout you?
Let the DIALOGUE begin: At YOUR workplace, how many Black MEN are there?
Talk to me!
Til next time...
Posts
Well, I used to think the same thing, when I started in Financial Services. There were rarely any black men. I'm now in the industry 13 years, and I have only had 4 Black male co-workers. I honestly don't think many men are office job types. I think of my 2 brothers, both smart and educated, but can't do office jobs. Even my dad, again college degree, but not office job type. I've come to assume that the usual boring monotonous 9-5 desk job is not something that appeals to black men. They seem to want to be very hands on, blue collar types? It would be interested to get the opinion of some black males.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably it. Most of the Black men I know are most assuredly QUALIFIED to do my job, but it's a bit restrictive. Heck, I don't even like being trapped in a cubicle and would much rather be in a more creative environment that has me in front of people more. I'm thankful for the job, but yeah...it ain't for everybody. We have field reps too at my job, and I would think that a position like that would be appealing to Black men as they pretty much get to do their own thing. Out of about 40 field reps (maybe more) we have TWO who are Black Men...TWO...that's it. I imagine that as long as Black men are employed SOMEWHERE and able to make a nice living, that should be enough. I sure hope that's the case.
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ReplyDeleteI'd tend to agree with the other comments, but I think that there are a lot of variables that may have something to do with the lack of black men in certain work environments.
ReplyDeleteAs we grow older, our goals change, and there are different goals for different people.
When I was younger, I started out in mostly call centers. No matter what company I was at,there were a lot of young black men who were co-workers. These men were mostly young men who were either working their way through school, or just looking to get in on the ground floor of the company to be able to move up or to different departments within the company. I do think that the confinement and restrictive nature of an office environment just doesn't appeal to most black men, but I also think that the perception of the threatening black man is also a prevailing reason that more black men are not hired in a "controlled" office environment.