Race in the Workplace: African American Victims of Their Own Success - Research Paper Example

The experience of blacks attempting to integrate mainstream economic institutions of the United States has implications for the racial integration and economic prosperity of blacks in the larger society. First, some economists have argued that blacks must acquire marketable skills and seek opportunities in the private sector as a means of economic progress. (Andrew, 1996) Not only is this goal important in terms of individual economic gains but there are also major ramifications for the employment status of black Americans as a group.

Gaining upward mobility in corporations will help place blacks in key decision-making positions. In the long-term this should have a positive effect on private sector employment practices and create greater opportunities for minority employees. Second, the cohort of blacks who are entering corporations represent middle class blacks who have educational and sociocultural histories that most closely parallel those of white Americans. This similarity should facilitate their integration into white-majority institutions and sets them up as role models for other blacks aspiring to achieve economic success.

It is important to all blacks that the experience of this cohort is closely monitored and results are communicated through published accounts. Such information can provide important input for guidance to political, educational, and business leaders interested in developing strategies for the long-term economic achievement of the black community. Many researchers would agree that black Americans have made some progress in moving into the managerial occupational category in the private sector. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the number of blacks holding jobs classified as "managers and officials" increased 135 percent between 1972 and 1982, to 174,003.

Farley and Allen in a comparative study of the occupational distribution of whites and nonwhites using 1980 census data found that between 1970 and 1980 the number of black men holding executive, administrative, or managerial jobs rose 8 percent each year compared to 3.5 percent for white men. (Reynolds Farley, 1997)