Why Black Employment Matters

Since the the abundance of protests denouncing George Floyd 's death that came as a result of commonplace police brutality against Black men, a deeper dive has been taken into the copious issues that plague Black people. That's a good thing.

Blacks were morally, socially, and visibly being accompanied in protests by a diversity of races that were united in their disgust of the blatant violation of the civil and human rights of Black people. Many difficult conversations about racial disparities, racial inequality, and social injustice have blossomed. That's also a good thing.

Police reform was one of the first and most obvious topics to address, and was, in fact, manifested in the form of legislature via the Justice In Policing Act, but many conversations are now centering on policy changes that can facilitate the birth of a new era in which Blacks have their greatest chance - in history - at racial equality. That's an optimistic (even if unrealistic) good thing.

Blacks don't feel that the time is now. Blacks feel that the time has been now for centuries. We are certainly glad to have, and are appreciative of, the shared recognition of this fact; however, these conversations beckon for the moderation of true leaders who are adept at qualifying and addressing the nuances and repercussions of racial inequality. They will be entrusted with influencing leaders in various domains to converge upon the right topics to catalyze policy changes. If they do not, it will be a bad thing.

The problem is twofold: First, the definition of racial inequality needs to be agreed upon because perceptions of reality vary greatly among humans. And second, an acknowledgment needs to be made that inequality exists in many realms; it's not just police brutality. In fact, racial inequality can exist in every meaningful aspect of life in which races must coexist.

This means that change will be a slow process.

Racial inequality and racism are not the same. Racism (and there are different types) is a byproduct of negative perceptions about members of a race, a resulting disdain towards them, and the overall comfort that one has with racial inequities, and acts of inequality that they see those members subjected to. 

This is one of the reasons that protests across the country were multiracial; vocalizing anger over George Floyd's death is tantamount to expressing one's discomfort, or in his case, outrage about it. Remaining silent, especially for white people (aka "white silence"), is now socially interpreted as communicating one's comfort, and thus one's acceptance of the ills and injustices that presently, and historically, have adversely impacted Blacks. It's beautiful to know that so many recognize that Black lives matter.

But Black employment matters too. 

We must fixate on the root of the problem(s), and not their byproducts, to effectuate measurable change. A Stanford research paper on the topic of racial inequality identified the core areas in which policymakers should focus to effectively combat racial inequality to reduce systemic racism. These are the core areas:

• Jobs
• Health
• Wealth

Yes, employment is the harbinger. You can view that paper here. Policies relative to employment pertaining to job training, professional development, workforce development, and career development need to be fleshed out, funded and implemented. They also need to be policed for execution. This is step one in reducing the poverty outcomes; attacking systematic inequality, and improving economic opportunities for Blacks.

Systemic racism is a multilayered problem that can only be resolved by having leaders work with each other in concerted efforts. They must also work in conjunction with businesses, organizations, and communities as allies in order to successfully move the agenda for any new policies forward.