There is an interesting idea floating around that the United States is past racism. There are even ideas floating around that we have reached a point where Affirmative Action is an unfair advantage for students of color applying to college. I think more importantly than all this, is that there are real stories floating around that slap those ideas in the face. A Black woman was unemployed for two years and was trying to use a job site monster.com with out any luck. She decided to conduct her own experiment in which she created a profile that had her same resume and work experience…the only changes: a name that seemed more “white”, Bianca, and she specified that she was white on the diversity profile.
“At the end of [her] little experiment, (which lasted a week), Bianca White had received nine phone calls—[she] received none. Bianca had received a total of seven emails, while [She’d] only received two, which again happen to have been the same emails Bianca received. Let me also point out that one of the emails that contacted Bianca for a job wanted her to relocate to a different state, all expenses paid, should she be willing to make that commitment. In the end, a total of twenty-four employers looked at Bianca’s resume while only ten looked at [hers].”
I would say this is disappointing …except this story is not a unique one, this happens everyday many people everywhere. I’m tired of people looking at something wrong in the world and being complacent with saying “oh, well that’s terrible” and doing nothing. I don’t want America to do something, I don’t want the world, or society do to anything, I want you, to do something everyday to fight for a cause that you think needs to be addressed.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. -Gandhi
