You know it done got real and it must be a problem if Nolan Finley is asking Where are all the black people? But he makes one mistake when he says he doesnt believe its about racism. His next paragraph is proof positive. He writes, Rather, its about downtown employers making sure theyre truly cognizant of the diversity of their workforces, and stretching a bit more to recruit and train native Detroiters, who will then help fill the lofts and nightspots. Thats where nearly all white people go wrong. Because failing to do so IS racist. No, its not overt or intentional racism. Rather its subtle and imperceptible racism. Its the racism that enables white human resources specialists and recruiters to naturally prefer candidates that look like them, that have similar backgrounds and experiences. Its the racism that white entrepreneurs manifest when they create businesses and hire entertainment for audiences with which theyre most familiar: people that look like them. Its the racism that steers white developers and general contractors to select partners and subcontractors from a pool of applicants that socialize and interact with them on a regular basis: people that look like them. Caucasians have to be trained and reminded to consider diversity. Consciously, they may espouse the noble concept of the best person for the job but subconsciously, they gravitate toward the familiar, the comfortable. Blacks on the other hand, have always considered Whites. For centuries, and to a certain extent even today, blacks were indoctrinated to believe that white was right and thus, inherently better. We are intimately familiar with diversity because since the dawn of the modern civil rights movement, most of us have strived to integrate ourselves within and among the white world for the majority of our lives. Black employers or those charged with hiring in a major corporation constantly worry about keeping the contract or their own job. Diversity is always on their minds. However, they usually are troubled with how the African-American candidate they select will impact their own job performance. They placate top management and thus ensure their own survival by hiring a sufficient number of white candidates. Most white people have always sought to avoid integration. Therefore, it takes commitment from a white employer to say even though Id prefer not to sleep next door to you every night, youve got the job and Ill see you here every day for ten hours. They rarely are concerned that if they dont hire a black person, theyll run the risk of being terminated. Yes, Mr. Finley is correct that employers have to be truly cognizant of the diversity (or the lack thereof) in their workforces. They may even have to, as he says. stretch a bit to recruit and train native Detroiters to achieve such diversity. But when they fail to do so, or at least fail to think about diversity, it is racism, and its not being racist to say so. Its being honest. There. I said it.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 07:39:03 +0000