New tack: African-Americans and Empowerment

Starting with the tone of the lyrics of "Darlin' Cora" (previous blog entry), I would like to examine empowerment in the workplace for African-Americans compared to white and/or other folks of color, and possibly how it has changed over time. I will take several angles, beginning with an examination of the presence of African-Americans in managerial or supervisory positions relative to their percentage of the population at large. I would guess they are not proportionally represented. I also hope to examine their presence in unions, and roles in union leadership. I would like to document these things both at the height of the civil rights movement and today.

Key data: BLS

The Struggle for Employment Equity for Blacks on American Railroads

Race disparities in health among older adults: examining the role of productive engagement Good paragraph on actual income disparities between blacks and whites pp. 661-2

Understandin Af-Ams Misunderstanding of Racial Economic Fortunes

The Political Economy of Hope and Fear...

Race, Socio-Political Participation, and Black Empowerment

Inequality in the Military: An Examination of Promotion Time for Black and White Enlisted Men full text not found yet.

"Blacks are less likely than others
to be attached to a single employer for an extended period
of time. While over 30 % of whites and Hispanics
spent 6 or more years with one employer, onIy about 20
percent of blacks did so."And the median number of years spent on the job between age 18-30 is 3.3 for Blacks compared to 4.2 for Hispanics and 4.6 for whites. - from here

Percentage of individuals age 28-36 able to perform their duties adequately when they started their job, 1993: Blacks 68.8% compared to Whites 62.2% and Hispanincs 65.7%. More Blacks also participated in on-the-job learning activites. "Typically, whites spent 116 hours learning, blacks 80 hours, and Hispanics 76 hours. These race/ethnicity differences are particularly evident for learning from supervisors or coworkers. For example, whites spent twice as much time working with supervisors as did Blacks."- from here

Black women, however, fare well in promotions next to white women. - from here

Earnings Mobility in the U.S. 67-91 Earnings mobility for blacks vs. whites. 23% of black men fall in the first quintile of earnings, while only 8% of white men fall in the first quintile. 17% of black men fall in the fifth quintile while 33% of white men do. Though the percentage that stay in the first quintile are realtively close, the percentage of black men that stay in the fifth quintile are only 59% compared to 78% of white men. Blacks economic positions are less secure.

Effect of Race on Promotions...

Race-Related Difference in Promotions... (1997) "Applicants of color were significantly less likely to be referred than white applicants; they were also significantly less likely to be employed in the hiring department, had significantly more work experience, and were significantly lower on the highest degree obtained." pp.118-9 significantly more work experience negatively related to panel evaluations, p.121 "Of the referred applicants, 8 percent of men of color versus 17 percent of white men...were selected for positions." (interestingly, almost three times as many women of color than white women were selected.) p. 123 "Applicants who had reached the pipeline grades for Senior Executive Service positions with fewer years of work experience may have been seen as more likely to succeed in the ranks of top management..." and more. Women of color did not experience the same negative effects of race... p. 124 Unique nature of government organization probably had an effect...procedural fairness... p. 125 * GREAT REFERENCES *

Support for digging through stats

Labor Force Statistics for the Community Population Survey

What Happens to Potential Discouraged? "persistent employer discrimination (Mason 2005; Pager and Quillian 2005; Moss and Tilly 2001a, 2001b; Holzer 1996; Braddock and McPartland 1987)"