“How does one become a Patel?”
Allison Patel,
North Chesterfield, VA
My boss’s boss’s boss asked me this question at a big event where I was introduced in a place of honor. He thought it strange that a white woman would have an Indian last name.
Ignored black man, looking for boss.
John May
Franklin, MA
I was a salesman of warehouse equipment . On an ordinary sales call, I would drive to a warehouse and try to meet with the boss to deliver my sales pitch. Most times I would go in a back door, loading dock, or other path that would avoid the receptionists and get me in faster. On one occasion, as I entered the loading dock, I saw two men loading freight onto pallets. One man was black, the other white. I walked right past the black guy and straight to the white guy to ask him if the boss was in. He pointed to an office across the way and I went on with my day. As I left the warehouse and past the two guys loading pallets, I said goodbye and got into my car. And then it hit me. Why did I walk past one man and over to the other, when each one could have given me the answer? I just assumed that the white guy was the boss or knew the boss, never giving thought to the possibility that the black guy could be the boss.
I never did that again. It was 25 years ago, and when I heard of your project, this immediately came to mind.
I gotta be better to be equal.
Andrea Canchola,
San Antonio, TX.
As a young, Latina, woman I feel that I have to be better than everyone just to be equal. I’m tiny, short and I will boss you around. Just because I’m a young Latina woman doesn’t mean that I’m not as good as you. I’m probably better because I had to work 10x as hard as you ever had to.
All of the bosses are white.
Josh Garcia,
Nashville, TN.
Attempts to recruit and retain diversity in corporate America do not seem to have changed the demographics I observe in the leaders and top earners at my company.
Color Doesn’t Matter. Tell My Boss.
Tina,
MI.
These six terms are my experience as it relates to every work environment I’ve encountered. I’ve been successful whereever I’ve worked and am now busy doing the “enterepreneur thing” (successfully). My employment experiences have all been the same. Single black female, alone in a sea of white as if no other qualified blacks (or any other minority) exist. It’s lonely. It actually sucks. And I’ve realized that, sadly, the lack of diversity has nothing to do with qualifications, but extreme nepotism. Sure, authors write about this phenom in the workplace. But, to actually witness whites hire people that only look like them/act like them, simply because its comfortable is mind blowing. It allows them this safety net so that they don’t have to try to get to know others. And sadly, most whites don’t even know they are succombing to racism. The need to mix with only white is so common and feels so natural, they they never question it. Meanwhile, I’m drowning in a sea of white and while so many people of color would love to dip their toes in this water, the sign above the pool says No Coloreds Allowed. Oh, except for me. Lucky me.
We Don’t Consider You White Anyway
Daniel Martin, Jr.
Mayfield, PA.
In 2007, I was working in a bakery. For whatever reason, I happened to be one of very few white people that worked there. The large majority of the employees were people of color. I had no problem with this as I had been exposed to many different types of people and many different ethnicities my entire life. I actually appreciate cultures that are different from my own, and I got along extremely well with all of my fellows workers. The owner and all members of the upper-management of this facility were white. During break time, it was not uncommon for some of the workers to complain about the job or about the conditions of our facility…..and rightfully so. We were overworked and underpaid and the building was old and dilapidated, barely passing health code standards. When referring to the owner or any member of management, my co-workers would frequently used the term “white people.” Example: “I can’t believe I’m still here working for these white people.” “When are these white people gonna give me the raise I deserve?” There were several instances where I would be present during these tirades. To be honest, I was never offended or put off by their statements. But there were quite a few times, when one of the workers who was using this terminology would notice my presence and become a bit embarrassed at the words they had used, as if I would be offended. It would be at this point that I would usually receive an apology, followed by the words, “We don’t consider you white anyway.” And again, although I was never offended, it struck me as odd that the term “white people” had, for some of my co-workers, become synonymous with “crooked employer” or “greedy boss.” These people were not racist. As I mentioned, we all got along great and I grew to love many of them. They never once mistreated me or directed any type of racially-charge insult my way. They didn’t dislike any one particular white person based solely on the fact that he or she was white. Nevertheless, when speaking of someone who they DID dislike, the fact that this person was white became the way he was to be identified and referred to. To this day, I’m not sure why this would happen this way.
Mixed race? No wonder you’re smart!
Michele J. Andrews
Richmond, VA
Upon seeing a picture of me with my (apparently) white grandmother, my boss said this to me. Then tried to backtrack by saying he was dumb because he was only white.
