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New York Times: "Study Examines Why Black Americans Remain Scarce in Executive Suites"
- Thread starter Chief Malik
- Start date
As someone who is black American I will never understand why we have such a disconnect with black people not from the United States. Why do they look down on us American born blacks and why do white people like them more?
Also I actually agree with this:
100%. I support my gay, Asian etc, people out there but do not throw us all under the same minority umbrella because our experiences in this country are so vastly different than it actually lessen all of our experiences as a whole. Not to mention all black people don't experience the same things in the workplace of course. Like I've personally never been clearly discriminated against so I have 0 perspective on this like some other black folks might.
Also I actually agree with this:
100%. I support my gay, Asian etc, people out there but do not throw us all under the same minority umbrella because our experiences in this country are so vastly different than it actually lessen all of our experiences as a whole. Not to mention all black people don't experience the same things in the workplace of course. Like I've personally never been clearly discriminated against so I have 0 perspective on this like some other black folks might.
OP
OP
I'm black and always heard that Africans looked down on us, but I never knew that caucasians view African's more favorably than us.
I'm a black white collar professional in the US, and yeah I'm often the only black person around. In graduate school there was one other black student. I just accepted a pretty high profile job, and I think I will be the only black person in the office (at least at manager or above level) - I didn't see a single black person when I was interviewing, and it is in DC. Consequently nearly all of my social group is white. I've pretty much been the one black guy my entire life.
ADOS people are gonna take the bit about Afro-Carribs and African immigrants and run with it with their xenophobic asses know that
Absolutely. Africans are viewed by some as "not like those others" (you know, all the negative stereotypes associated with American Black folks) and that is viewed as a plus for some. One of my parents is from another country and it is amazing to see people perk up when i tell them that. Yes, it is fucked up. 😡
That has been my experience most of my career.
I'm of Afro-Caribbean descent. Can confirm anecdotally, my family does look down on Black Americans. There has always been a sense of "they don't want to actually work hard," "squander every opportunity thrown their way," "are happy to continue to play the victim," etc.
Most black shows (outside of family matters, Fresh Prince and the Cosby Show) and music were banned in my house.
That said, it did cut both ways. The few black kids in my town used to say that I wasn't black since my ancestors weren't American and thus I wasn't impacted by slavery (hilarious enough, we have slave shackles that have been passed down for like 5 generations).
Professionally, I'm in Finance and there is very little Black representation. There was a similar article a few years ago that explored how the bulge bracket investment banks had a serious problem hiring and retaining black employees. I guess I do play up my Caribbean and British heritage.
Most black shows (outside of family matters, Fresh Prince and the Cosby Show) and music were banned in my house.
That said, it did cut both ways. The few black kids in my town used to say that I wasn't black since my ancestors weren't American and thus I wasn't impacted by slavery (hilarious enough, we have slave shackles that have been passed down for like 5 generations).
Professionally, I'm in Finance and there is very little Black representation. There was a similar article a few years ago that explored how the bulge bracket investment banks had a serious problem hiring and retaining black employees. I guess I do play up my Caribbean and British heritage.
As a black man that will be pursuing an executive position in 2021 in the Chicago/Northwest Indiana area (CFO or COO), I've begun to think about this. Given the locale of where I am, my education (accounting and marketing as undergrads with an MBA) and position (Controller) my ability might be slightly easier.
I wish that this study focused on the type of degrees and paths that people take but that is probably too granular. I've seen numerous studies and stories that show that having a background in finance or accounting eases the path to the top. I see African American accountants but proportionately, we are scarce, even in Chicago. Most black people I know have liberal arts degrees that seem to limit their scope or path of career progression.
I wish that this study focused on the type of degrees and paths that people take but that is probably too granular. I've seen numerous studies and stories that show that having a background in finance or accounting eases the path to the top. I see African American accountants but proportionately, we are scarce, even in Chicago. Most black people I know have liberal arts degrees that seem to limit their scope or path of career progression.
we did not, sir.
but our white brothers and sisters did, so here we are.
you ready to answer their questions? Don't forget to put on your official Ambassador lapel pin.
lol
No shit.
Now ask yourself why fewer black folk might be earning degrees that would help them gain these positions. And why the ones that do still have a higher likelihood of being passed over.
No shit.
Now ask yourself why fewer black folk might be earning degrees that would help them gain these positions. And why the ones that do still have a higher likelihood of being passed over.
Is 8% for white collar jobs that bad relative to the black population which is what 12-14% of the total US population?
What am I missing here?
What am I missing here?
I cannot speak for finance, although from what I have been exposed to it comes down to networking/access and performance, but in law at first glance there are plenty of candidates that have Ivy League degrees, law review, judicial clerkships and excellent resumes who rarely make partner in big law. That again comes down to networking/access and the opportunity to be client facing which is imperative to your ability to bring in clients/book of business.
Well I'd say it's media, word of mouth etc. how does the media protest black people ima nothing? Either were criminals, poor or rappers/athletes. It's not just an African thing, it's an immigrant thing. People come from come from places that are seemingly more fucked up than any inner city and they form generalizations. And not having the burden of hundreds of years of oppression and things to keep you down and a different mentality, you see more African professionals etc.
Imo it's just people not trying to understand others experiences and just assuming since I could do it so could you.
This has been going on a long time. Malcolm X even refers to this in one of his speeches. Some African-Americans would put turbans on their heads for a night out and receive better treatment because they were mistaken for foreigners.
I don't know why but if I were to take a kneejerk guess, Whites treat Black immigrants better because of subconscious guilt and animus. They are facing the embodiment of their collective past sins when an African-American is in their presence. That same body carries 25% nonconsensual white dna and survived generations of trauma. They are looking at their fellow brother and sister who they've abused and discarded and here she stands before them freely, instead of locked away and out of sight.
They don't know anything about any Black countries overseas, who these immigrants were back home, etc... but they do know that these African-Americans in front of them weren't supposed to have the same rights they did and that bothers them. They weren't supposed to be anything but worthless, so when one comes in for the management position ... that lazy grunt that's been half assing it for 8 years is really going to feel a certain way.
Imagine tracing your roots to early America, having a 400 year head start and here comes a Black dude outclassing you in the work place LOL.
I don't know why but if I were to take a kneejerk guess, Whites treat Black immigrants better because of subconscious guilt and animus. They are facing the embodiment of their collective past sins when an African-American is in their presence. That same body carries 25% nonconsensual white dna and survived generations of trauma. They are looking at their fellow brother and sister who they've abused and discarded and here she stands before them freely, instead of locked away and out of sight.
They don't know anything about any Black countries overseas, who these immigrants were back home, etc... but they do know that these African-Americans in front of them weren't supposed to have the same rights they did and that bothers them. They weren't supposed to be anything but worthless, so when one comes in for the management position ... that lazy grunt that's been half assing it for 8 years is really going to feel a certain way.
Imagine tracing your roots to early America, having a 400 year head start and here comes a Black dude outclassing you in the work place LOL.
Broad numbers tell little of the story. Black women are the most educated demographic, they earn more degrees then any other cross section
Man this has always been weird to me. I understand the numbers. I personally have seen the exact opposite in my professional career. Many women high level executives and the same with blacks people. I guess I work for a good progressive company🤷🏾♂️ Not to say there isn't real issues there will always be a majority rules.
"Do black people also enjoy the water cooler?" Was a question my friend was asked this week
To chime in I am not Afro-Carib but had a similar upbringing sans those shows (only show I had to sneak to watch was the simpsons), a lot of Africans have drunk the kool-aid with perceptions of Black Americans when it comes to work but it's a complicated mix of portrayals and sometimes experiences when they come here. People coming from Africa have a different substance of "hustle" that is similar to the African-American one, yet tainted by colonial experience and still deeply stuck in the money/going to the west is the only good mentality. In the seventies a lot of African immigrants came to see the squalor that African Americans lived in ignoring more of the context of their struggles in this country and just simplified this to laziness or just being even more down right ignorant and comparing it to it being nothing to (insert x colonial power's oppression) not realizing that when they got off the boat that they will mostly be seen in the same lens as African-Americans (sans the model minority buff that developed). Most didn't realize it wasn't an oppression olympics, match that with pushback in cultural differences and the infighting began.
In my youth yeah, my parents were fairly distrustful of American Blacks but grew to see out of those harmful viewpoints and the pedestal that whiteness gave them to pit one and one against each other. With the advent of the internet this infighting is dying more and more to my happiness, but from time to time you get those damn Uncle Tosins who say ignant ass shit out their mouths to your black american friends....
I'm blessed to say that I work at a company where 3/6 Executives are black and 5/6 are minorities - all except 1 of them are women as well. Feels great to work in such a progressive and diverse company compared to my last job where every executive was a 60+ white man from the east coast.
The further that I've gone up the corporate ladder, networking and performance tends to reign supreme. These are people with high paying and high stress jobs and thoughts of racial purities or stereotypes in the upper ranks gets pushed to the side when you need someone to do the job. I would say that it's easier and less guilt affecting to deny someone at McDonald's than a high executive job because you know that you can easily find another person to fill the role at McDonald's. Not everyone is a lawyer nor does every accountant make it to being a controller or higher. Can you do the job becomes the only question in many cases.
I know other things go into the decisions but this is all anecdotal here.
My dad's family is of afro-caribbean descent, but three generations in, we identify pretty thoroughly as African-American. I really have to wonder how these dynamics played out in our family history now, though.
At a certain level, professionally, everything becomes about networking, and access becomes a significant barrier to entry.
In short, good old fashioned American biases.
Not sure what there is to 'scratch ones head' over.
In short, good old fashioned American biases.
Not sure what there is to 'scratch ones head' over.
My family is also of Afro-Caribbean descent, but we never thought of ourselves as something different from "black" in America. The diaspora comes from different places, but we're all on the same team and all dealing with the same discrimination trying to make it in this country.
As far as seeing black people in positions of power at work...it's been hit or miss with that in my work history. I hope after I get my Master's I can make moves in my career so that I can get there and help those numbers increase for the culture.
As far as seeing black people in positions of power at work...it's been hit or miss with that in my work history. I hope after I get my Master's I can make moves in my career so that I can get there and help those numbers increase for the culture.
Dude I don't fucking know, cause who the fuck even enjoys the water cooler in first place?
but i'm not allowed to be an ambassador :(
i keep eating ppls faces..
he wants to know if black people drink water. we do. we literally do.
Yeah. That was my thought. LOL
I was told we only drink Kool-Aid, the red kind.
And sweet tea.
In the medical area where I work only 3 (myself included) out of 36 are black. There are 0 black role models or people in positions of power. Then again I live in a solid red area now. I remember counting the number of brown people in my classes growing up. Never more than 2-3.
I was thinking about this as well.
Not too many people want to fly that close to the sun. As I mentioned, I'm a controller and being the keeper of the company's finances is heavy at times. Board members calling you, CEO, CFO. Some people get to a point, all races, for where they are content with where they are position wise.
Also for black people, we instinctively assume that we have less margin for error anyways so some of us just don't want that spotlight on us.
Not too many people want to fly that close to the sun. As I mentioned, I'm a controller and being the keeper of the company's finances is heavy at times. Board members calling you, CEO, CFO. Some people get to a point, all races, for where they are content with where they are position wise.
Also for black people, we instinctively assume that we have less margin for error anyways so some of us just don't want that spotlight on us.
My 2 cents. I work in a really big financial company which seemingly prides itself on diversity but that really just manifests itself in white women having manager roles of different levels( not that's there's anything wrong with it). I can count on 1 hand the number of black people in a building of hundreds of people. Also strangely enough Asians are also almost nonexistent here