Also consider that having an arrest record (or worse) (which I think we can finally agree happens to black people -- being arrested for no reason) precludes you from many jobs
I feel like I’m going out on a limb here, but I’ve made it a personal goal to try to reconcile the language used in political conversations as best I can.
> being arrested for no reason
I think a lot of people in the US would disagree with this statement. It’s (typically) not precisely true, but the idea I believe you’re expressing absolutely is.
Blacks (and other minorities) in the US are policed more aggressively than Whites. This is a fact, and I don’t know anyone who would disagree with it. I suspect it’s very uncommon for them to be arrested for no reason, though. Rather, they are investigated for little to no reason, and for crimes that are rarely or never enforced for others.
A White guy driving down the road with a joint in his ash tray is less likely to get pulled over. He’s less likely to be asked to allow a search of his vehicle. The cop is less likely to be looking for contraband. If it’s found, it’s more likely that the cop will either completely overlook it or decline to charge him with possession. If charged, it’s less likely he’ll be convicted. If convicted, he’ll likely get a lighter sentence.
By saying “for no reason”, we emotionally charge the debate and give people with opposing views a straw man to attack. Worse, I’ve found that people who are simply ignorant of the issues or who haven’t examined their own views at all to latch on to this and never even consider the reality of the situation. Instead, it’s easier for them to think “this person has an agenda, and they’re wrong because this is technically false”.
> Blacks (and other minorities) in the US are policed more aggressively than Whites. This is a fact, and I don’t know anyone who would disagree with it.
Many actual black people, for one:
> When asked whether they want the police to spend more time, the same amount of time or less time than they currently do in their area, most Black Americans -- 61% -- want the police presence to remain the same. This is similar to the 67% of all U.S. adults preferring the status quo, including 71% of White Americans.
> Meanwhile, nearly equal proportions of Black Americans say they would like the police to spend more time in their area (20%) as say they'd like them to spend less time there (19%).
Just because they want more of a police presence doesn't mean they want aggressive policing.
If you live in a rough neighborhood, it is reassuring to have a police officer nearby or at least in the area. However, that doesn't mean you want that police officer harassing you for trivial offenses.
Posting anonymous for obvious reasons. I'm not black, but I am a minority. The racism in tech is so obvious, my eyes bleed sometimes. At my workplace, they will consistently take an average white worker (no special degrees, no special schools) and promote them over and over until they are multiple levels higher than others.
Its all BLM woo haa on slack but what really matters is promotions, raises, projects, opportunities, and nothing shows up there. Pretty soon, you have a 24 or 25yo director of VP presiding over a PoC (some of whom are black) who has two or more decades of experience and who is obviously doing all the real work.
The entire c-suite has a single person of color. The board has none.
Then, you hear people grumbling in management meetings that some of the "diversity hires" are not motivated. Think -- why would they be motivated given what goes on?
Addendum: Not saying this doesnt happen outside of tech, but I know it happens in tech because I see it company after company, and especially at my current venture-backed employer. So consider that when you hear empty talk about tech being a meritocracy. Now granted, tech does have good numbers of Asians, but I think that is sheer funnel input volume driving that.
We can do better than anecdote. 74% of the largest tech firms executives are white [1]. This perfectly reflects 1990 demographics, when the US was 76% white [2]. A 30 year lag between arriving to a country, and becoming an executive, seems more than reasonable.
> At my workplace, they will consistently take an average white worker (no special degrees, no special schools) and promote them over and over until they are multiple levels higher than others.
Are you saying that they also discriminate against above-average white workers in favor of average white workers?
> The entire c-suite has a single person of color.
How many people are in the C-suite, and what's the ratio of PoC to total number of employees in your company? I'm not trying to disprove you, it's just that a single number (1 PoC in the C-suite) doesn't provide any insight into your situation.
Out of curiosity - the 25-year-old white VP seems very specific, so I assume it’s based on a personal experience.
When were you able to enter the field, compared to them? Do they have more experience at an earlier age?
To be clear, I am in no way arguing or trying to minimize your experiences. I’m looking for holes in my own view of the problem, which I stated in a top-level comment. Based on that I would expect that the VP probably had a lot of starting advantages over you. That doesn’t make it right, but it may highlight effective strategies for changing the dynamic for your children.
Yes, we have 4 such cases in a relatively small company, all in early to mid 20s. None with any degrees of note nor any prior successes or any prior superchargers (such as McKinsey). This is a specific experience. However, as I see our employees go to other companies, it is fascinating to follow a nice upward stairwell people of non-color follow.
Meanwhile, PoC with extensive experience are told, "oh next year, you will be eligible for Associate Director or some other BS"
I entered the company at just above entry level despite quite a bit of experience. I cant say more or it might become obvious who I am.
Unsolicited advice, so take it with a huge grain of salt:
You should leave. You should go somewhere your skills and experience are valued, and you should advise your non-white colleagues to do the same.
How is your social network? I’m also posting using a nominally anonymous username, but if you’d like I’ll set up an email so we can get in contact. My own network isn’t as strong as I’d like it to be, but my employer is hiring and if you’re remotely a good fit for what we do I can at least get you past the initial hiring filters and ensure you’re considered. Let me know.
If you have linked-in premium, do a search of "Director" and "VP" and try to back out age by year of undergraduate graduation and you'll find plenty in tech. Good point about small companies. In my case, we're a tad about 100 employees. This would be a great great great investigative journalist piece that is data-driven for someone who wants to earn the ire of tech decision makers. That will not be me.
In my company of 100, we have 4! Once is 27 now, but was promoted at 25.
