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Hey, let's talk about black representation, shall we?
I saw a recent post by a prominent conservative/right-wing talking head saying something about... well, basically his point was that racial bias in jobs was a myth.
So naturally, I wanted to dive into this a bit.
I saw a recent post by a prominent conservative/right-wing talking head saying something about... well, basically his point was that racial bias in jobs was a myth.
So naturally, I wanted to dive into this a bit.
The right wing trope goes like this: Let's say you have a company with 100 employees. If only 20 employees are black, the "libs" will call you racist. Why? Because at least half should be black, right?
"WRONG!" They say. America is only 13.4% black.
"WRONG!" They say. America is only 13.4% black.
This is some sticky logic, because on its face, conservatives seem right. If you have a company with 100 employees, and 14 of them are black, then technically -- you have equaled the racial diversity of America.
Maybe "the libs" are just *trying* to be outraged, right?
Maybe "the libs" are just *trying* to be outraged, right?
The problem here is that we can't just look at the US population as a whole, and assume every workplace is the same.
Allow me to blow your mind for a moment. The United States has these places called cities and towns within each state -- where demographics are... different. Wow!
Allow me to blow your mind for a moment. The United States has these places called cities and towns within each state -- where demographics are... different. Wow!
If you're hiring in Atlanta or Memphis, you might find your talent pool is overwhelmingly black.
If you're hiring in Boise or Salt Lake City, you might find your talent pool is overwhelmingly white.
Workplace diversity is relative to the demography of your city.
If you're hiring in Boise or Salt Lake City, you might find your talent pool is overwhelmingly white.
Workplace diversity is relative to the demography of your city.
For instance, let's say you are a tech startup, and you want to be based in Boise, Idaho.
You may want to hire a diverse team, but after hiring four black employees, you discover that you hired every black person in Idaho.
There's no way to be "more" diverse.
You may want to hire a diverse team, but after hiring four black employees, you discover that you hired every black person in Idaho.
There's no way to be "more" diverse.
Conversely, if you are a tech startup based in Memphis, even if half of your staff is black, you're still technically underrepresented relative to the population of the city.
That's why it's impossible to have a diversity discussion without talking about context.
That's why it's impossible to have a diversity discussion without talking about context.
