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Last Hired, First Fired
Corporate Minority — A Think Piece
The workforce has a big problem. Its biases and prejudices are showing and no one intends to fix it. The higher-ups are mostly white, males. And model minorities are in entry-level roles with no hopes of upward mobility. When offered an opportunity, peers believe the minority person has only achieved success as a result of their skin color. Of course, a minority person cannot be smart or come up with innovative ideas. That would be ludicrous. Even when many people, minority or not, get positions based on their network. And don’t forget nepotism. But people, mostly those on the receiving end of privilege, don’t want to talk about that.
When you see a minority in a predominantly white organization, usually they are being used as a pawn. A number to put in diversity surveys. And when they are no longer needed, they are discarded. It will be subtle when they start planning to ease you out and get the next minority in. You’ll be given more work than your white counterparts. You may even be stuck with their assignments. You’ll see people who came after you get a higher salary. As a minority, your work will be overly scrutinized. And so will your judgment and intelligence. You will lose confidence in yourself and they will say your work is just not meeting their HIGH expectations.
Do yourself a favor and give them the middle finger. Quit. And if it’s really bad, maybe don’t even give notice. Don’t be afraid to leave. There are companies out there that value diversity and are willing to treat you as important. They are willing to give you that competitive salary. Being a minority in the workforce adds another level of stress. But you are valuable and you deserve respect and a raise. Period.
