A clear yet often overlooked example of systemic injustice is in the workplace, especially during the hiring process. Besides the commonly recognized pay gap between ethnic background employees and Caucasian employees, applicants for job positions also face discrimination during the process. According to a Harvard study, it was found that when potential job applicants submitted their applications, equally qualified black applicants were statistically less likely to receive an interview for the job when compared to white applicants. This clearly illustrates the systemic injustice that exists within the workplace for black applicants, which only exacerbates the fact that poverty also disproportionately affects the black community. In addition, the study indicated that black and Asian applicants with ethnically sounding names were statistically less likely to be called for interviews and be hired for the jobs, despite identical, if not greater, qualifications for the job. This only further emphasizes the clear and unfair struggle that exists within our society. Because of this internalized racism towards ethnic individuals and ethnic sounding names, they end up not getting jobs that they deserve and need to feed and support their families, despite having all the necessary qualifications. Furthermore, reiterating the fact that poverty already affects individuals from these communities disproportionately more than Caucasian individuals, this only serves to further hurt the condition of those in these communities. In addition to the economic aspect of this condition comes the psychological and mental burdens of such discrimination. In such a situation, when applicants are already being discriminated against, the workplace itself also poses as a place for more potential trauma. In fact, according to a Gallup poll, in the last 12 months, 75% of black employees reported being discriminated within the workplace itself. This further highlights the degree of toxicity that ethnic employees within the workplace, even after attaining their jobs. Even worse, this 75% figure is constant across all genders, ages, and income levels, meaning that at no point in an black person’s career are they safe from workplace discrimination. This not only results in less productive workers, but poorer qualities of life for people who are working just as hard, if not harder, than their fellow employees. Hence, we see that even in the workplace, a place that an individual would expect respect and equality, systemic injustice and racism continues to still prevent hardworking individuals from accessing the success they deserve.
hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=51633
https://news.gallup.com/poll/328394/one-four-black-workers-report-discrimination-work.aspx