It’s difficult to argue that African-Americans haven’t come a long way when it comes to equal rights and justice, but there is still a really long way to go, especially when it comes to equality in the workplace.

For example, despite the obvious progress we have made, there remains a persistent wage gap between white people and African-Americans. As of 2009, the wages of African-Americans were about 65 percent those of white Americans. Many excuses have been given for this disparity, but the fact of the matter is, it’s been more than 50 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed and it became illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race. The fact that such a gap persists to this day is troubling.

There are many reasons why the gap persists and many of them are cultural. And they are not limited to the stereotypical poor black people who are “stuck” working at a low-paying job in the service industry. Quite often, black professionals even have a difficult time fitting in and making their way through the “corporate jungle.”

For example, structural racism persists in the society, in that access to many institutions that were blocked for people of color for generations continues to be limited when in comes to access to the best educational institutions. While things have improved, the inability to get the best possible education continues to this day.

Another problem black people often feel in the workplace comes with perceptions. According to a recent research report, about 40 percent of African-Americans in professional positions say they feel like outsiders in their own company, with about 37 percent of them claiming they have to hide who they are and transform into something acceptable in order to function in the workplace. For instance, they claim they often have to toe a very fine line when it becomes necessary to be assertive in the workplace, so as to avoid the “angry black” stereotype. And at times, white supervisors are reticent to give black workers feedback that is critical to advancement within most companies, for fear of being seen as “racist.” And often, when supervisors do offer a performance evaluation, it’s based more on their own personal stereotypes and not actual job performance.

Despite the advanced age of the Civil Rights Act, according to employment data, there is still a lot of intentional job discrimination out there, and African-Americans continue to suffer the most. A recent study of 200,000 mid-sized and large companies found that, regardless of industry, there is a 41 percent chance of an African-American being discriminated against at work, regardless of the industry or the level of the job. In fact, the same study found that even black managers and professionals have a 30 percent chance of being victims of discrimination.

Thankfully, at least there are more blacks in positions of authority within workplaces. According to one study, in 1968 a black man was only 20 percent as likely as a white man to be a manager or supervisor, and only 40 percent as likely as a white man to work in a professional occupation. By 1998, however, those percentages had increased to 50 percent and 70 percent, respectively. Of course, that same year, the black man was more likely to work in a low-skill job than the white man and less likely to work in a high-paying professional job.

There is also evidence of a continued problem when you look at the way the races are distributed in various industries. Whites and Asian-Americans have the highest median incomes, in part because they tend to hold more white collar positions in professional, executive, and managerial occupations, whereas African-American workers are more likely to be concentrated in service and blue collar jobs, which pay less.

While there has been a lot of improvement for African-Americans, a lot more has to be done. Federal authorities have to recognize that, while job discrimination based on race has lessened in recent years, it’s still a persistent problem. That means we need stricter enforcement of policies designed to address these obstacles and make the market fair for everyone.

If you believe you have been a victim of workplace discrimination, you should see a lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your options.

References:

Black Equality Doesn’t End in February

Racial Wage Gap in the United States

The Black and White Labor Gap in America

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