In 2018, we should be far beyond racism against African Americans in the workplace. It is nothing short of shocking to read that racial discrimination still exists in many American companies.
Yet this is the case. Although there are far less overt and explicit acts of racism, small forms of virtually undetectable racism continue to thrive in our nation’s working environments: finding excuses to not hire someone, over passing qualified workers for promotions, etc. Obviously, this type of discrimination is illegal and victims have rights.
Unfortunately, Racial Discrimination is Still Alive and Well in America
According to a recent article by Associated Press online, African Americans still face significant discrimination and marginalization, especially in the higher-paying professions. “lack workers are chronically underrepresented compared with whites in high-salary jobs in technology, business, life sciences, and architecture and engineering, among other areas.”
While there is greater equality in manual-labor and other lower-paying jobs, this discrimination in the upper echelon is alarming.
Uncovering Instances of Racial Discrimination
The challenge in cases like this is that companies hiring for architectural, executive and other higher-paying jobs usually have many candidates for every posting. With many qualified candidates, it’s difficult to prove that an African-American candidate was refused employment because of his or her race.
For a viable discrimination claim, a plaintiff has to prove that the discriminatory act was in some way because you are black. In most cases, this is difficult to do, requiring the services of an experienced employment law attorney.
If you think you have been a victim of racial discrimination in the workplace, it is critical that you don’t try to handle your case alone. It takes legal knowledge and experience to win these cases, so make sure you work with an experienced attorney you can trust. You have rights and you deserve a fair shake in the workplace.
