By the time Cheryl Boulden penned her letter to President William Clinton it was much too late to save her job or her career. The fifty-two year African American woman’s recruitment provided diversity to a department in much need of it. Boulden says that “emphasis was made on the fact that not only were my employment credentials impeccable, but the USFS would benefit in their diversity program because I am a black female with a permanent handicap” (Reeves, 2006, p. 70). Her race, age, gender and disability brought several elements of diversity to the United States Forest Service and her performance had been well enough to warrant an upgrade from a GS-9 to GS-11which required a transfer to Indiana. Although she found her new town of Bedford to be profoundly racist she also “found the forest supervisor, a white male, easy to work with and very supportive of diversity” (Reeves, 2006, p. …show more content…
It sometimes give “the perception of ‘token appointments’ [of individuals] who could not be hired or promoted on performance ability alone” (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002, p. 242). It can also create more discrimination in the form of reverse discrimination where those formerly believed to be discriminators are now unfairly victimized because of the color of their skin. Diversity training can sometimes be demoralizing and reinforces stereotypes when trainers resort to emphasizing differences that elicits anger and divisiveness (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002, p. 245). Businesses can find their legal liabilities have increased when “unorthodox training techniques invade employee privacy and humiliate individuals in front of their co-workers” (Von Bergen, Soper, & Foster, 2002). According to Choi’s research “individuals in diverse groups tend to fell less safe and to trust each other less. Lower trust is more likely to lead to higher conflicts within groups” (Choi, 2008, p.
Although the testing and diploma criteria disqualified African-Americans at a substantially higher rate than whites, Duke Power never established that they successfully measured ability to do the jobs in question”(NAACP).
The lesson that Roberts asserts can again be divided into two parts. The first is, in fact, not about racial discrimination, but rather about perseverance. By telling the audience how he was able to succeed in a classroom that was literally similar to a war zone, with soldiers and belligerents, he achieves an excellent report card. By doing so, he teaches us that hard work, determination, and focus are what ultimately will lead you to success. Lastly, Roberts teaches us that we must discuss our shortcomings in any field in order to overcome them. Furthermore, he implies that liberal attitudes can very much be contagious and that dialogue and acknowledgement of the past is necessary in order to achieve goals either individually or collectively.
The role of the Freedmen Bureau in African-American development during the Reconstruction era has been a polarizing topic since the Bureau’s inception. While most concur that the Bureau was well intended, some scholars, believe that the Freedmen’s Bureau was detrimental to African-American development. One such scholar was W.E.B. Dubois, who in his book The Souls of Black Folk, expressed his discontent with the actions of the Bureau and suggested that the Bureau did more harm than good. Upon further probing, research refutes the position that the Freedmen’s Bureau was chiefly detrimental to Black development. While far from flawless in its pursuits to assist the newly freed Negroes, the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau did not impede African-American progress; instead, these actions facilitated African-American development.
James Baldwin uncovers a few misconceptions in his essay, ?Notes of a Native Son?, about the discrimination that occurred with in the American Armed Forces during World War II. These misconceptions were not unintentional?the government, to look more political, created these perceptions. The government treated the African Americans unfairly and segregation and discrimination were still not uncommon. Not only were African-Americans rarely let into the army but once in the army they were not given the same opportunities as the other soldiers. This was not only unfair to the African-American soldiers who were willing to put their lives on the line for their country but also for all American citizens who lost their lives in World War II.
Anne learned from a young age that if you were a Negro, hard work will get you something, but most of the time, that something isn’t enough for what you need. This is the same for the fight against racial inequality. Though the programs made an impact and were successful in their own smaller battles, the larger battle still had yet to be won. Anne’s experiences had raised several doubts
The merit system standards case is based on Congressman Wally Herger’s comments regarding the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) civil rights program (Reeves, 2006). In an attempt to persuade the House of Representatives that change was necessary, Herger quoted several United States Forest Service job announcements that included language such as “only unqualified applicants may apply” and “only applicants who do not meet Office of Personnel Management (OPM) qualification requirements will be considered” (Reeves, 2006). The This case study analysis will focus on the Forest Service’s unfair practice of actively recruiting and hiring unqualified applicants, the reasons for discontinuing this practice, and the increase in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints due to this practice and suggestions for increasing diversity without compromising the merit system (Reeves, 2006).
Racial discrimination in the United States is not a new issue. African Americans have been discriminated against since 1619, when the first Africans were brought to Jamestown and served as slaves. After being killed, segregated and treated inequitably in 1965, the government gave equal opportunities to African Americans for the first time. Yet, the opportunity given was once again to serve the country. Their duty was to defend the nation during the Vietnam War. African Americans played a key roe in Vietnam and, in the process, changed the complexion of the U.S. Armed Forces. The fulfilled an extraordinary record of military service, regardless of the fact that they served under unequal conditions and were segregated with second-rate equipment (Young 333).
Cañas, K. A., & Sondak, H. (2014). Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity: Theory, cases, and exercises (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Blacks are prevented from enjoying life in the American work force because of their race. The problem is that Whites cause Black misery, but do nothing to change this. Jill Nelson’s White supervisors could have been more accommodating to Nelson’s needs. They could have taken measures to make her more comfortable in the work place, possible by hiring more Blacks. Their newspaper could have began to portray Blacks in a more positive, truthful light.
an experience I had earlier this year in a diversity seminar that was held on my job. We had a
People may feel uncomfortable in the diverse workforce. It is moderately normal for humans to find unfamiliar things uncomfortable at first. Consequently, every individual has their own view of what is comfortable to them. People can become uncomfortable when they encounter people with different point of views and the way they perceive the world. Some people might struggle to work with a large number of diverse employees with different sexual orientation, race, religion, or another number of factors that make them unique. We all have particular stereotypes of different groups of people, which could lead to biased decision making. Stereotypes are different generalizations about a particular group of people. The assumption that men are strong,
Dr. Kenneth B. Clark’s legacy has lived on and will continue to inspire because, even today, in the 21st century, there are many ideas and problems that Clark addresses in the realm of prejudice and racism that are still relevant in social identity, education and the work place in America. Clark was a social psychologist who was a firm believer in equality, though he knew that racial division would be a difficult task to overcome, he still thought it was a concept that was necessary for America to progress. One of the many researchers that have continued Clark’s work is Thomas F. Pettigrew. Pettigrew (2004) suggests that America is not where it needs to in reference to equal opportunity. Pettigrew does acknowledge that there has been many steps forward since the Brown case and Clark’ s doll studies, but believes there has also, been many steps taken backwards in regards to the progress of racial equality and opportunity (Pettigrew, 2004). According to Pettigrew (2004) racial prejudices have come to be much less blatant but still have the same effect on the people exposed to the phenomena. Though racial prejudices are still prevalent, the source of the tension is much more difficulty to identify. As did Clark suggest, Pettigrew (2004) also believes that for change to consistently and proficiently occur, it must h...
Diversity is a composite of racial, gender, ethnic, nation origin, cultural, attitudinal, social-economic, and personal differences. With the many legal implications and issues surrounding every aspect of the Human Resource function, the human Resource department must be prepared to resolve issues in a timely and cost efficient manner. With the saturation of laws surrounding personnel, nearly every decision made by the Human Resource Department has the potential for legal suits. Even if the Human Resource department has done everything that is required of them, it can still be costly to defend it. That is why supervisors, managers and workers must be trained on managing diversity in the workplace.
Diversity is a notion, when applied to the majority of circumstances, can create a positive conclusion. The trick to producing a positive outcome is often how the different aspects are brought together. Consider a classic dinner combination peas and carrots, the two colors look appealing and the two flavors comes together as one making a superb side dish. Now consider oil and water, these two substance are not often considered a good combination. Although, this is not always the case; olive oil and vinegar (which is water based) when mixed, come together into a delectable salad dressing. Diversity and inclusion should also apply to humans by bringing people together who are different it can creates a whole that is enhanced by the uniqueness of each individual.
Therefore, it is imperative for employers to put in place a deliberate training program that explains in detail the benefits and positive outcomes of a diverse climate in the workplace. Employers must communicate the effects of diversity in the workplace to ensure that the employees understand and embrace the climate. The most common practice to unleash diversity is through continuous training and mentoring. A continuous learning environment promotes understanding, improvement, and develops interpersonal skills. Employees must understand that diversity is an organizational attribute and not just a policy. When that understanding is achieved, the organization’s workforce is united and has a better chance of success in their mission. Therefore, organizations must adopt a diversity management practice that retains talent, improves satisfaction, and augment the organization’s