Racism, Prejudice and Oppression in the Information Technology and Social Media Marketing
73
Racism and Prejudice is wide spread in the Information Technology (IT), Social Media Marketing (SMM), Social Media Networking, and Cloud Computing sectors in th
Monday, November 08, 2010
The Information Technology (IT), Social Media Marketing, and Cloud Computing has become a White only Club, that will accept a foreign employee before an African American professional with the same qualifications, experience, certifications, and interpersonal skills.
In 2009 the percentage of African Americans to European Americans in the Information Technology (IT) sector was 3% out of 100%. This percentage indicates a huge disparity in the industry. In 2010 we have seen racism, prejudice, hatred, and oppression within the Information Technology, Social Media Marketing, and Cloud Computing sectors on an all time rise. As we approach 2011, things are not looking much better.
Lets take a closer look at the situation. There are many African Americans with IT Certifications, College and University degrees in Computer Science and Management Information Technology (MIS), however, they are not being hired into IT firms.
Many companies say, that there are not enough African Americans that pursue degrees and obtain certifications in the Information Technology Sector. This is just not the case. Many companies seek any reason they can not to hire African Americans into their companies, which is worst for African American men.
Why is it harder for African American men to obtain key positions in IT companies?
I believe it to be a simple matter of established hiring quotas. A company can hire a minority woman which will satisfy two quotas: # she is a woman and #2 she is a minority. Therefore, from their perspective this is a much better situation.
In addition, many companies do not like to see an African American with no criminal background, no drug abuse problems and history. They become angry at the fact that African Americans are now keep their children out of jail and prison and not allowing them to break laws and get a felony (criminal record). Why? Simple, they cannot use these two factors to deny giving them the position within their companies. It is so much easier to deny giving an African American a job by using this against them.
In addition, many IT companies don't want African Americans to come into the sector out of pure fear, prejudice and hatred. The Information Technology sector is more often than not, seen as a European American only "club", indeed the IT sector became the 19th and 21st centuries breeding ground for racism, prejudice and oppression.
The racism in the Information Technology (IT) sector has infected the Social Media Networking, and Cloud Computing sectors as well.
In New York City (NYC) Information Technology (IT) and Social Media Marketing (SMM) companies are seen as racist organizations. Many of these companies are practicing a from of segregation and oppression, which can be seen in their hiring and promotion practices.
THE TOKEN
Some IT, Social Media and Cloud Computing companies may hire one or two African Americans just to say, look we are "not" racist, we have African Americans working for the company. However, if asked how many out of the hundreds or thousands, they say they cannot divulge that information.
DON'T ALLOW THEM TO GET EXECUTIVE POSITIONS
Many of the Information Technology (IT), Social Media Marketing (SMM), and Cloud Computing companies that do hire African Americans keep them in certain positions within the company, such as Help Desk Support, Network Administrator, etc.., and not allow them to be promoted into positions such as: Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Operations Officer (COO), President of Information Technology, and Vice President of Information Technology, because these are seen as European American ONLY positions.
Some will argue the fact that the United States of America now has an African American president, however, this is NOT enough. Racial practices are still prevalent in IT, Social Media, and Cloud Computing.
THE INTERVIEW PROCESS
Another aspect of the social illness affecting the Information Technology (IT), Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Cloud Computing sector is the interview process for African Americans.
Once a company learns that they cannot find a real reason not to hire the African American professional, after weeks of interviewing, they are left with only one recourse, to say, "we have decided not to fill that position at this time." I encourage an African American professional facing this issue to consult with the EqualEmployment Opportunity (EEO), NAACP, and a Civil Rights Attorney to launch an investigation into that company. If they filled the position with someone else, they have to prove in a court of law why they did not hire you.
IT IS TIME FOR REAL CHANGE
Technology has moved forward at an exponential rate, however, social acceptance, fair and impartial treatment, and "true" Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) has not. Show me a technology, a software program, a IT platform that can root out the prejudice, hatred, oppression, and racism from not only the Information Technology (IT), Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Cloud Computing (SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, DaaS, MaaS) sectors but also root out these ills from society as a whole and I will show you a company that has truly changed the world and made it better.
What are your thoughts on this subject?
The REAL FACTS but ONLY FOR THE BRAVE
While it is true that African Americans like European Americans have become consumers of Social Media Networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc., they are not the ones creating this technology, The real problem lay in the education system and within our society.
The education system is not taking the real steps need to educate African Americans in early education to learn to "create" this technology and be innovative.
When it comes to society, the stereotypical African American is portrayed as a Ghetto Thug who's only concern is finding a woman, getting high, and doing nothing. This simply is NOT true. The image that some portions of our society would like to continue is what had been established by racist Americans.
African American achievement dates back well before the founding of America. Not only is Ancient Egypt apart of the African American heritage, so was ancient Carthage, Timbuktu, etc... Ancient Africans coming from various countries in African wrote books on science, mathematics, chemistry, medicine, physics, and so much more, well before Rome became Rome. And many of these books can be found in various museums throughout Europe today (2010).
The Social problems in the United States
The Social problems in the United States in 2010 are far reaching indeed. Racism, prejudice and oppression are wearing new mask. We have in America what I call "Low-Intensity-Racism".
What is Low-Intensity-Racism?
Simply put, it is when a racist professional, organization, company, firm, use negative hiring and promotion tactics to keep African American professionals out of a sector or to keep them from advancing in a sector to the positions of CEO, CTO, CIO, COO, President, Vice President, etc... Therefore, society does not see crosses being burnt, people wearing bed sheets, lynching, bombing, burning of homes, schools, churches, rapes, molestations, etc... The racist do not fear an African American moving into their neighborhood, nor coming to work in their companies, and as long as this situation continues, the racist feel that African Americans are no threat to their ideology and the status quo they and their ancestors have taken years, decades, and centuries to establish.
Where does this leave society?
Society is left far behind the technology is uses. What good is technological advancement if humanity continues to hold onto the prejudices and dogma of the past? So, we are able to communicate faster and in new more innovative ways. So, some say that because of technology the world has become smaller, bring humanity closer together. But few are willing to state the other side of this coin openly, for fear as being seen as someone not belonging to the "social order." They FEAR becoming an outcast.
What is the other side of the coin?
Although innovation in technology is good, with it comes the spread of hatred, stereotypes, prejudice, and racism. I lived in a few other countries and have traveled to 64 countries, and I as an African American have encountered racism. Do you know the "N" word has been translated into other languages and the negative connotations are still attached to it. In Turkey, they use the word Zengi, in Aurstralia, South Africa and other countries in Africa they use Keffer, etc... So, has Social Media helped to stop this? Is advancements in technology helping to end this spread of social illness? I ask you.
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (3)
- Funny
- Awesome (3)
- Beautiful
- Interesting (1)
CommentsLoading...
Your post has had a response in an online publication called ITBusinessEdge. You can read this link at: http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/tennant/it-
I am not affiliated with this ITBusinessEdge. In fact, the reason I am here is that I disagreed enough with the basic premise of his article to write a response below. I just came to share that point of view with you.
-----------------------
I have also worked in this industry since 1984 doing a variety of occupations over the years. I have noticed that even in the Bay Area, the Mecca of technology, there are few companies that have more than one Person of Color be that black or otherwise on their very white IT staff list. Larger firms can boast a few exceptions, i.e. Hewlett Packard. In some places I have had the fortune (or misfortune) to work, they had NEVER hired a person of color before I was hired there. I find it difficult to believe that there had NEVER been a person of color qualified to work there before I showed up. I have certainly had the experience of being the only person of color to have worked in technological environments with dozens of IT employees.
So, is there a problem? Yes. Is it a problem of access? Yes. Is it a problem of training and desire to entire the profession? Yes. Is there a problem of racial exclusivity? Yes. Has there been a lack of desire to correct this problem on the part of larger organizations who have the power to study and correct this social imbalance at the educational level? Yes. Will this continue unabated until the perfect storm of socio-political reforms, educational reforms, cultural and social forces push for this to change? Yes.
So let's not paint this out as an issue of people of color not wanting those jobs and not applying for them, because that is not true. They want those jobs and have the skill to get them. Let's consider the idea that SocialForce's perspective is certainly true to him and likely he is not alone in that perspective. We know, whether we care to admit it, that he is not.
Even for those black veterans of the industry who have been fortunate enough to work for decades in IT, they might only be willing to admit behind closed doors they have experienced terrible racism in this career because they are required by culture to admit to nothing but good treatment, lest they find themselves unable to find good work in the future. So, asking those who are working in the industry whether they are being treated fairly is a form of self-selection potentially damning themselves to unemployment in the future.
What has always amazed me is that this dominant culture will repeatedly say there is no discrimination now and blacks are afforded the same opportunities as whites. But anyone who has listened to the unemployment numbers, especially right now, can attest to the statistical average that twice as many black young men are unemployed as whites, even when their educational backgrounds are the same. It was proven in a study that a black man with a degree has the same chances of being hired as a white man who has a criminal record. (and in case you did not know, a black man with a criminal record is almost unemployable in this society, hence the recidivism rates amongst that population.)
I say there are homo-social protocols (the idea that a workplace hires people like itself with similar backgrounds, belief systems, and racial archetypes) that will promote environments where everyone looks the same, went to the same types of schools with the same types of friends, social activities and lifestyles to create a false sense of harmony in those environments. I say false because it excludes the true nature of the world today which is multi-racial and multi-cultural and that will NOT be changing ever again. So the idea of isolating certain aspects of the culture to exclude those that do not fit into our homo-social structure is ultimately self-defeating and futile.
Science has proven that genetic diversity in nature is necessary for the overall development of an ecosystem. When too many of the same genetics are spread in nature, a single pest or pathogen can destroy the entire crop or even species because it has no genetic resistance through diversity to protect it. Extinction can be the result if the pathogen is dangerous enough.
This has also been studied and proven within the business environment that diversity of culture and gender promotes new ways of thinking because of the differences in lifestyles, viewpoints, and experiences. If we wonder why we keep making the same mistakes in technology or for that matter in any business endeavor, all we have to do is look at the players and notice they are not changing. The players who have embraced cultural diversity are slowly pulling ahead of the pack. The answer to that is simple. The world is diverse. If you continue to attempt to assume that only your way of life has the answers, you are liable to continue missing the target as it continues to pull away due to the forces of worldwide competition for resources and wealth.
Until this nation stops squandering its most precious of resources, the human mind and the human potential, which has nothing to do with its color, or shade or religion or creeds, until it starts living up to its supposed ideals that we are all created equal, we will continue to fall behind as the minds of young people of color who may be different than the dominant sub-culture running the show, but whose experiences may be exactly what is needed to understand the future of the world. Each of those minds has the same potential as Einstein if given the opportunity to grow.
You can pretend all you want that those minds in the heads of people of color don't matter. Keep saying those minds are not able to contribute to America the same way that yours do. If that helps you sleep at night. Remember this: those minds are also in the people of color who are in those nations who we are now competing with; China with her one billion souls and India with over eight hundred million. They are all people of color and they are able to and willing to compete with the United States at a scale never before considered and whose profits may ultimately exceed anything ever done in the history of the world. And the funniest part of that is America is enabling them by sending work there, and hiring their workers here under H-1B visas.
There are three hundred million of us in the United States. My advice: recruit anyone who can bring a mind to the battle and see that they are armed as best we can, the stakes are no less than the fate of the United States and her place in the world economy.
Thaddeus Howze
ebonstorm@gmail.com
Blogging at: A Matter of Scale
Hi,
I sympathize somewhat with the sentiments in the article, but may I suggest a different perspective. I have worked in technology and IT for about 14 years, first as an engineer, and now one the business side. I have dealt with the problems outlined in the article.
Why get so angry at what bigots do in their companies that we waste energy and lose focus on what is important? Self determination should be our goal. Why not start your own company or firm? I know a few brothers in the valley that have done this and achieved some level of success. And frankly, that is what our Indian and Chinese colleagues do; there are many asian-owned tech companies whose talent pool is dominated by one ethnicity. They are not caring if any other ethnic group wants to exclude them.
So, doing for self is a first priority.
Another tactic is to work for a company not dominated by groups that have historical hostility against black people. The tech industry in Africa is on the rise, for example. Why not get in on the ground level and work for/establish a tech firm? Or go overseas to Asia, or South America. I know a few black people in tech that work for firms in Australia and China. There is a strong desire for experience and talent in many places whose citizens don't have the historical biases Americans have.
I agree with MOST of these points. However we as African Americans must solve this problem for ourselves, nobody is going to do it for us. WE as parents have to make sure our children are mentored and pushed in the right direction. WE need to stop letting the bad elements in our neighborhoods show more attention to our children than we do. WE need to be more involved in the education of our children. And above all else, WE need to stop the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes. All too often we glorify the athlete's, the rappers, the "entertainers". WE allow the world to see us as thugs - tell me how many young black men you've seen recently wearing their pants halfway down to their knees? WE offer ourselves up as "entertainment" for da white folks. We sing, we dance, we rap, we run, we jump - anything to entertain. We need to elevate our Doctors, our Lawyers, our Educators, our Politicians, our IT Professionals. WE need to change OUR thinking before we ever have a hope of changing theirs.
Great article and long overdue! A friend of mine and I were both talking about this recently. She mentioned a friend of hers (black male) who interviewed at a company recently and was taken through the ringer, meanwhile he notices that foreigners with less education get hired with no problem. My only concern with your article is that you mention black women being hired over black men. Although this might be true in some instances, I don't want brothers to think black women have a hand in this dirty deed. I am a black woman and I saw the racism 10+ years ago when I started in the field. It starts in the interview with all these ridiculous technical questions (that you won't need to do the job) and education requirements. It continues on the job when you're denied any advancement opportunities. I remember one of my first Helpdesk jobs working in a mid sized bank. Even though I had previous tech support experience and had graduated from a Big Ten university, I had to have 4 technical references instead of the usual three. Mind you this was level I support. I guess they wanted to be sure I was qualified. Once I was hired, I made it a point to ask some of the staff working there what kind of education/experience they had. The first guy who trained me said he was unemployed and his wife knew the manager's husband and that's how he got hired. Told me he was a TRUCK DRIVER before that. He in turn brought in his friend who had also been a truck driver. The supervisor and the guy she brought in had worked at a storage rental company or something like that. NONE of these people had a college degree or IT experience before they started there. The Supervisor knew I had a degree and she intentionally did not teach me how to fix bugs in the software. Of course this made things inconvenient as I could not do my job properly. Since I was working in an "at will" state, they finally got rid of me with no reason at all. I wrote the new CIO and told him everything. HR called me and asked me what I wanted and I said just a good reference for my next job search. If I had known then what I know now I would of sought legal action, but I was young and my only concern was hoping I can get hired somewhere else.
@longdeshizi I understand your point about starting our own companies, but many are not in the position to do so. I would love to start my own company, but it takes capital and other assets which I do not have.
The bottom line is for all its advances, America is going down in flames fast. Racism is ruining this country and I'm not mad at all. I'm working in Asia right now and although I will return, this is one of the smartest career moves I made. These people are preparing to take over the seat of power and the dumb good ole boys and Jim Crow Jr in the USA are handing it to them. Can't wait to see what happens when the power shifts.
Again, great article. I will do my best to spread the word on this subject.
Interesting article about the IT Industry. I've worked in the field for 14 years and I've had my share of similar experiences, so I don't want to detract from the point being made, but simply state this: We, Black Americans, spend too much time on "talking" about Racism and not "doing" anything about it. It is an issue that limits us as a people, because of how much time and energy we pour into. Now, I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but we need to redirect our energy and time elsewhere. While we discuss it, the disparity that it causes increases. We should focus more on doing those things that will put us in the positions to affect change. You cannot change a system without having sufficient or significant power within that system. By leveraging mentoring and business ownership, change will occur. We have to redefine our definition of Racism by moving it out of "Social" consciousness and into "Financial" consciousness.
miss2cents
your comment/excuse about barriers to starting a business is unacceptable and should be rebuked.
we can build cloud based business off $5 month hosting services and can set up version control hosting to collaborate on distributed frameworks such as mobile payments or digital signage or iptv networks in our communities.
Nice and interesting, the only thing I have to say is If we had faith of a seed not a mustard seed a seed!!!
This article is spot on. I've long felt this way long before this Great Economic Recession we are currently experiencing. But I also would like to add that it is a shame but so, WE can and often times ARE our own worst enemies! In fact, a more likely scenario comes to mind when an upper level supervisor is given the task "Get rid of this subordinate in your command, or WE will get rid of YOU!" The supervisor gets rid of the person only to find down the line they are gotten rid of themselves!!!
@Miss2cents, to echo Ed Dunn's point, while it can be challenging to start your own tech business, it is also relatively cheap to do so, if done in the right way.
Think of the challenges and stress of navigating a racist corporate system. Well, starting your own firm is not so much harder, really. It takes a little preparation and study, like anything, but can yield dividends.
Two way to minimize costs:
1) Like Ed said above, many tech tools are becoming dirt cheap, like cloud services and types of hardware. So taking advantage of reliable, inexpensive tools can save alot of startup costs.
2) This is more important. We need to find 3-4 like minded individuals and pursue opportunities as a team. Going it alone won't cut it. Black people are taught to be individualists and distrust each other, but no other group follows this way. I have yet to see an indian or chinese or korean business done with just one person. Even these small mom and pop shops are funded with community loan pools. Teamwork is essential for success, and spreads the risk of failure across multiple people.
I recall some harrowing interviews in my past, but the point is to NOT let one missed opportunity break you or stop you. Just move on to the next.
Those who are determined to persevere will, and those who take NO for an answer won't.
If someone won't let you in the front door, build your OWN house.
I will admit even though I have a FT gig and I'm blessed with talent and also people that believe in me... my skills and knowledge get downplayed sometimes... But it only makes me work twice or 3x as hard and I can attest to being multiples better than my counterparts as a result.
I have more than enough experience building web applications fromt he ground up and then some. If I work at a company for the time being and am relegated to a front end (HTML/CSS/JS) position so be it. Why look for accolades within a firm when that isn't real success nor does it provide job/financial security?
Get in where you fit in and work on your dreams in the process. What I see more nowadays as it relates to my field, is some guy(s) build something useful or popular, they create a large enough buzz to eventually get bought out or just are plain successful and reap the benefits.
I advise anyone and everyone to think of being innovative as opposed to seeking a title in their current organization. Granted everyone wont have the aptitude for such ventures but there has to be a way you can forge your own path.
And put as much effort and zeal into your own endeavors as you do with your FT gig.
Racism in Information Technology is alive and well. I broke into IT in 1968 after I had completed my military service. I had a B.A in Mathematics took their DP aptitude tests and scored higher than any of the employee currently employed at that company. I saw their friends and close associated get promoted over me and the only course open to me was changing employment and moving on.
At the end of my career I worked for India Indians who I found were more objective and treated me fairer then their white managers.
Stay strong and watch each others backs.
I've been in the IT business for 25 years and worked for a number of companies during that time. Yes, I have seen racism in the industry and on the job like most here have.
However I have to absolutely agree with the point that just calling it out and complaining is about the WORST thing we could do. Playing the race card in the US today is an automatic way to lose any argument when your career is on the line.
I've said this many times to people who play the race card: OK - Let's suppose you're correct. There is institutionalized racism in this country. It's everywhere and "the white man" as you call him is only interested in keeping us down. What are YOU going to do about it? How are YOU going to make things better for yourself, your family, and your community?
Now, I don't believe any of those suppositions in that last paragraph are truly that bad. But I would still do the same thing I'm doing in response.
First, I'm working extremely hard and making sure that I am the best I can be at what I do. The result for me has been that I'm now recognized as being one of the best in the world at what I do in the industry (Cloud Infrastructure). I'm among the most highly certified folks anywhere (I'd say top 200) on the technology from the industry leader. People inside and outside of my company seek my opinions and guidance daily. I'm well paid too. God has truly blessed me!!!
Next, I'm working hard to set myself financially free. I now hate debt with a passion my wife still doesn't understand. My goal is to be debt free except for the house in about another 18 months, and totally debt free in another 5 years. I'm teaching Dave Ramsey's classes at my church (where I'm an associate minister) to help others with similar needs and goals.
I offer to teach anyone at my church everything I know about IT - especially virtualization and cloud infrastructure. Some are finally starting to take me up on it.
Finally, I'm teaching my children to work just as hard as I am, but to also make better choices than I did at first, so they can win at life. I'm teaching them to understand why they will need to teach their children to do the same things someday too.
I know lots of white folks in this country very well, and they don't necessarily have it easy. It's true that African Americans have things generally harder, but nobody here gets a free lunch. For far too long, our African American community has sat around listening to other African Americans making money off of encouraging us to have a victim's mentality. Get real. Get off your tail. Stop the whining and the race card baiting. Yes, I know it's tough, but nobody is going to rescue you because you were the victim of racism in business.
But - and this is the BEST part - I know a lot of white business leaders who will respect you if you shake it off, find a way to overcome it, and find a way to win at business anyway. They will also offer you opportunities you might otherwise never have thought possible.
We've forgotten that the only place in this world where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
The hard reality in the USA is this: You will, as an African American, run into racism of both the "in your face" and the "low level" (as defined in earlier posts) types as you pursue your career. But none of it can completely stop your goals UNLESS YOU ALLOW IT TO.
Henry Ford once said it this way: Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to.
So my advice is to do what my grandmother taught us: Do what you do best, work hard, and get out there and let 'em see ya. That's pretty good advice coming from someone who was a 5-term state representative in her 2nd career.
definitely worth bringing up the topic. i think the solution lies in doing for self. starting our own companies and inventing/creating/coding/providing technology without waiting for others to hire us. That is why the programs like HSCC that bdpa puts on are so critical and useful to the future of AAs in IT. Need to have more kids and more chapters. That is what is up.
I too worked heavily in the Cloud Computing and storage community where there are TONS of blacks (African Americans). However that community is primarily prevalent to the East Coast. As Black male, I know based on years of experience, I am one of few forerunner in my area of specialty, been around the world and maintain a security clearance. Additionally, I am in the SF Bay community - and there is NOT a heavy representation of people who look like us.
Now let's get to the heart of the matter, most of the people in this IT arena are Asian, Indian, Caucasian and etc. When I walk in to the office, there have been people ready to question whether I am even an employee of the company, let alone an IT veteran. That is the very core of the issue. The other is that they sometimes can not believe we have enough depth, intelligence and backbone to do the same job with the amount of capability as the counterparts that I have named above. In my experience, I have seen the experts that look like US do a far better job than the counterparts. Yet, only get marginal or surface level praise.
Cut to the chase, it's racism and prejudice hands down. They can not believe you are that good and when you are you will show the counter parts up and they can not have that.. Great movie to watch - Finding Forrester.. Others out there get on Linkin.com and join MiTs.
Thank you Ed Dunn and longdeshizi for your comments on starting a cloud computing business, they were very helpful. However, I found my talents are best used in the documentation area of the field, which I have found employment with much success. I am interested in starting my own documentation business and when I return from overseas plan to do just that.
@ Mr. Williams, I disagree with you about the "race card" comment. This is exactly what society wants us to believe (everything is equal, there is no racism, etc). Yet if that were true, this wouldn't even be a discussion. Regardless of what mainstream America propogates, all black people do not sit around and cry racism all day and look for hand outs. Racism still is very real. Let's call a spade a spade and stop trying to be so politically correct. The Jews have no problem bringing up their history and taking swift action when their community is disrespected and we should be no different. We African Americans have been quiet and and turning the other cheek long enough and that's why we're in the predicament we're in now. Just because we're calling it out doesn't mean we aren't doing anything about it. This is the first step.
@Techie I feel exactly what you're saying. When you walk in the room, some look at you as if you are an alien and question your employment. Now that you mention it, I remember a subject matter expert (Asian male) I was interviewing calling my manager, to "verify" what I was doing. This was after I already explained why I was there using well articulated American English and pronunciation. At first, I didn't see a problem because I was new and he had never seen me before, but after my manager apologized, I realized he had to get "confirmation" I actually worked there. As if I had nothing better to do then slip past security to talk about Storage Area Networks all day.. The field has been dominated by nerdy Caucasian boys and the non threatening Asians they choose to bring in. They act as if you have to be a genius to do their job when the lot of them are watching servers all day, talking to each other and playing warcraft and wizard games.
I agree with this article for the most part. I've been in corporate for over 20 years and my story is the same as most. The only thing I'd like to add is that "playing THE game" has got to stop. The so called "game" amounts to nothing more than allowing racism and sexism to thrive in the workplace. I have no faith in the EEOC. When I was unjustly terminated after an illness (a white counterpart in the same situation was not let go), I was certain the EEOC would pay attention. The company had just settled a class action lawsuit that alleged women and minorities were severely underpaid. To my knowledge, there were three EEO suits prior to that all relating to black women. When I made mention of that to the agent, he responded saying they don't look at any other history of suits. They look at each one on an individual basis. According to them, a history of discrimination at any company means nothing. If you're waiting for the EEOC to fight your battle for you, don't hold your breath. Stop playing the game and speak up for one another. That'll go a lot further along that flying solo. I know people are concerned about their jobs but its more difficult to justify the termination of a group of black employees than just one. We got our civil liberties that way, I don't see why a similar tactic wouldn't work towards gaining our professional liberties as well.
@miss2cents
You totally missed and completely mis-characterized my point about racism. ...And I really do not like when people try to put words in my mouth.
I never wrote that racism doesn't exist in the IT industry or anywhere else. Far from it. If that were true, how do you square that I wrote that I have experienced racism personally in the very first paragraph of my post? I also am far from worrying about political correctness. You appear to just not like that I called this particular spade a spade.
@everyone
Do you really think that the so-called racist "white man" actually cares that he is racist? Do you really think he cares you are calling it out? Please...
My point is that, as an African American, the way in which you defeat racism is NOT by playing the race card and whining - which, by the way, is a lot of what the OP does. Only a single stat followed by lots of additional assertions which have no references. And he follows it up with absolutely no solutions. Lots of respondents to this post have done a far better job of coming up with ideas that could work.
The way you defeat racism is that you will have to work very, very hard and be the very, very best at what you do. You will also have to be willing to teach and help others to do the same.
I keep quotes from people like Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver in some of my personal e-mail signatures as a reminder.
Booker T. Washington wrote, "Nothing ever comes, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work."
George Washington Carver wrote, "Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses."
Holding to these values has served me well in my career, as well as in dealing with racism that is clearly present there.
...By the way, I've also have worked for Indian firms as a consultant. You want to talk about racism towards blacks? They are often as blatant and un-repentantly racist as they come thanks, in part to the caste system they claim no longer exists. Yeah, right...! The same often goes when you hit the senior management levels (usually Director/VP level and up) of some Japanese firms. I *very politely* insisted to one of them that they address me as "Williams-San" to ensure they got the point. If you understand Japanese business culture, you understand the message that sends.
I was raised by parents who drilled 2 points into the heads of their children: 1) You can achieve anything you want in this country if you're willing to work at it, and 2) You will, as an African American, still have to work twice as hard to go half as far.
OK - so be it. We now know what we must do to achieve. But it is still possible to do, and if enough of us do it, we will eventually break those barriers down.
No excuses.
Mr Williams, I didn't miss your point at all. I got it clearly. Please don't be offended or feel attacked as that wasn't my intent at all. I understand your point of not defeating racism by calling it out and whining. I simply shared another point of view. I applaud those who subscribe to the work twice as hard theory. There are many of us that do it everyday, but it takes much more than that to change attitudes and beliefs.I personally can only do my best in any given situation and leave it at that. I can't change the world.
Sadly imperialism and the like has been spread around the world. Even here in Asia. Plus they have their own brand of nationalism and stereotypes, which they bring to the US. I can only be an ambassador and represent the winning mentality my family gave to me. That's it.
I truly appreciate the comments made in response to the article "Racism, Prejudice, and Oppresion in Information Technology". I have worked as an IT professonal (Computer Operator, Network/Telecom Analyst, Programmer Analyst, and IT Consultant) in various industries for the last 25 years.
Like many of you, I too have experienced indifference based on my race (Black). The racist comments, hostile stares, being snubbed, and lack of opportunities based on race (Black) has always been frustrating at times to deal with.
There are times when I have wanted to go off but always maintaining my composure and holding on to my DIGNITY. Much of the advice is good, especially the advice to use your energy to stay focused, continue learning and honing your skills, and performing EXCELLENT work.
As unfortunate as it is, it's also good to know that you aren't the only one having these experiences. This is a great forum for being able to express your thoughts, ideas, and opinions regarding this matter.
The Labor Secretary and President Obabam should get our comments on this subject matter. Maybe we can begin a national dialogue to address our concerns and have included in government policy solutions to resolve the concern of RACISM ruining lives.
Let's continue to fight RACISM in general but for sure where we make our livings, in Information Technology.
@ everyone....
I believe once again this article is indeed spot on in its presentation BUT....
I do not believe that we should roll over and except anything that is placed before us and call it eqaulity.
Our forefathers have risked their lives just so we even have an oppurtunity to call ourselves IT professionals today and guess how they started the movement?
By "playing the race card".
Anyone recall Malcom X, How about Martin Luther King Jr.? These individuals took varied paths, had varied positions, and totally different outlooks on how to arrive at a common goal which is now what we as African-Americans call racial eqaulity.
The point is that although we have indeed came along ways, we still have a long ways to go. Also there are Malcom X's, Martin Luther King's, and Barack Obama's amongst us today but again WE MUST NOT BE OUR OWN WORST ENEMY!!!!
I have always considered this practice of RACISM, PREJUDICE, and OPPRESSION that we as Black Americans experience is paramount to TERRORISM. It has had such an adverse affect on us historically and today. What amazes me is that our country will spend billions on ensuring that Middle Eastern children are not being endoctrinated with extreme Muslim ideaology so that they do not become Muslim Extremist but ignore or sweep under the rug the RACIST ideaology that White American children have been indoctrinated with.
taught. In my opinion, white racist ideaology has more National Security implications for Black Americans than Muslim Extremist ideology. Think about it.
What they don’t tell you about circumcision: The is a service called, “Intact Care.” Education about intact care is so important and would save so much pain. Foreskin removal is an almost guarantee that the males won’t give females diseases. Over 100 babies per year die of forskin removal. Foreskin mutilation people are two embarrassed or uneducated to talk about something that is important in satisfying there partner. On the web site it says. ‘That without foreskin women loose 80% of the experience.” So a doctor will come in and say he will do a little procedure and the Mom will say it’s okay and a few minutes later it will be done, like a thief in the night. That they leave a 3” wide scare that won’t allow you to masturbate properly, also won’t quit during times that you don’t want it, during your puberty years. This is something that needs to be outlawed because it’s a form of child abuse. I’ve always thought they removed too much skin and people would always laugh, when you question what this is about. Now that I see sometimes; how unkind and stupid people are, I guess they didn’t hear the word rude in the bible, I suppose this is a spiritual gift many people get except it realy is bondage. The invention of the condom did two things 1.) Keeps people from having babies 2.) It decreases the spread of disease. Foreskin is a very useful and valuable part of the body part that most Adult men do not want to give up. Please stop this unethical unnecessary procedure. WWW.intactAmerica.org or look up youtube=circumcision-Assault on Male. I see why it’s a laughing matter and it’s another shame we need to get over or demonstrate some kind of kindness but sense the senseless will put money before sensibility we’ll just accept things the way they are. At one hand they say there’s starving people in China, and then they would want some money. It sort of reminds me of the Harry Krishna people at the airports, acting kind but taking whatever they can. Or Cat Stevens starting his return in 2001 and things just happen that way.
I think I'm going into web development or design or something else I would rather do. I'm just not happy being in IT (helpdesk, desktop support) anymore. I'm qualified for alot of positions, I'm a veteran, 10 years experience, with an associates degree, and a couple certifications, I do well on interviews but still companies wont hire me. I guess I realized how racism might have played a factor during my last job with the local government, and after being laid off, due to state budget cuts. It's just not the same, it seems alot tougher for me. I was giving alot of busy work aside form my helpdesk role, especially after being put on the second shift to replace someone. I guess sometimes I just stopped being motivated because it took alot out of me trying to prove myself. I wouldn't have even been considered if it wasn't for a few supervisors who hired me, one a black lady and two others being military vets. But there boss told me he wouldn't have hired me if it was up to him, he didn't consider my experience to be relevant and he didn't think my personality would fit in with the rest of the staff. And after eventually being hired he told me not to mess this up. So I kinda knew from that point on, I might have picked to wrong. But I needed a job and had already but in 6 years of IT in the military, so I couldn't just walk away from the opportunity.
I don't know if it's race or not, but I wouldn't want to work for a majority white company that only hires me to fill a quota. Sometimes I think hiring mangers feel I wouldn't fit in well with their mostly white employees or their customers based off my appearance. I don't know for sure, but I wish I would have known this before deciding to invest myself in this career. There are other careers (expecially with a bit more cultural mixture) that interest me and I don't think I would face these same challenges with them.
Walter 18 months ago
I found this post in total aligment with my experiences. As a Senior IT project Manager, I have always wondered why I was the only black face in the room. I may want to use, with your permission, some of the stats in my blog.
This was needed.