Racism in the Work Force

In the article Study: Black man and white felon - same chances for hire by Devah Pager, researchers set up an experiment to determine if racism played a role in the hiring of job applicant with a criminal record. The researchers categorized applicants into four categories: black ex-convicts, white ex-convicts, black men, and white men. All the men were given similar qualifications on their fake resumes. They found that non-criminal white men were twice as successful in getting a job as non-criminal black men and criminal white men were just as successful as non-criminal black men! “Being black in America today is just about the same as having a felony conviction in terms of one’s chances of finding a job” (Pager).
Based on the results of this experiment, blacks do have a tougher time getting jobs, and must work much harder than similarly skilled whites to accomplish similar goal. Employers seem to prefer white employees over black ones for several reasons. They may feel that their costumers will be more comfortable with white people and therefore bring in more business. Employers may also simply be racist themselves and not want to work with black people. They may have preconceived notions regarding work ethic or criminal behavior. They may also fear the different culture and prefer their own. Besides being uncomfortable, employers may feel unsafe or threatened by black workers. In the Native Son, black protagonist Bigger feels restricted and confined in the white society. Bigger said that whites won’t let blacks do anything and that he feels like he is locked in prison. This is interesting because whites who have been locked in prison fair the same as black men with no criminal record. Bigger is subjected to this double standard for blacks and will realize that if he wants to conform, he must work extremely hard, and that it is not worth the effort for him. It is much easier for Bigger to commit crimes and rob people than to live honestly in the white community. Bigger’s employment by a white man is very rare for a black man in his community, so he doesn’t know how to handle the situation and is surprised when his expectations are wrong. Bigger’s initial interaction with his white employers is very awkward for him. In the 1940s, racism was much more prevalent and conspicuous: employers openly refused to hire blacks just based on their skin color. Today, employers can’t be as open about racism, and sometimes hire less qualified blacks for affirmative action.
Black people must work much harder than whites to achieve the same results simply because of the color of their skin. White people often feel uncomfortable around black people because they are not used to their culture and are only aware of rumors and stigmas, which are extremely broad generalizations that are often untrue. Due to poverty and the conditions of many black communities, a life of crime is much easier to pursue than one of an honest living. Gangs provide the only security young blacks have, and often engage in criminal actions. The work force has been integrated a lot over the past few decades and has certainly improved; however, there's obviously still room for more improvement. Blacks may still have to work harder than whites, but it is no longer impossible for blacks to attain high-level positions working alongside whites. The integration of our culture progressively improves as we move away from the segregated era, and blacks' value to employers will eventually equal that of comparably skilled whites.

Pager, Devah. "Study: Black man and white felon - same chances for hire." Weblog post. Anderson Cooper 360°. 9 Aug. 2008. Cable News Network LP, LLLP. 18 Mar. 2009 .