Taylor Reynolds

Ms. Garcia
College Writing
October 16, 2014

Racial Discrimination

Racial discrimination is still a big problem in America Today. Racial was

a huge problem stemming from slavery. Slavery was a time when many
Africans were taken from their homes and brought to America to work on
what were called plantations. Thousands of them were beaten, starved, and
killed just for having a different skin color. Many people fought to end slavery
and they did, but the effects of slavery were still prominent. There was
segregation that was a new and very explicit sign of racial discrimination.
Everything was segregated; bathrooms, restaurants, schools etc. Many
people had to sit at the back of the bus, and had to go to the back of a
restaurant to get food if they were hungry. African Americans at this time
could not vote, this was a law that was fought against and eventually won.
Kids were not allowed the same education as whites. This I am sure made
many of the African American kids feel that in society they are less and that
they cannot achieve as much as their Caucasian counterpart because of their
skin color. This type of discrimination could have fixed the mindset of many
people. As years went on many people fought to end segregation, and they
did. More African Americans started to work in jobs that were predominantly
occupied by Caucasians. Racial discrimination was more blatant back in the
day and people did not get hired because they were African American, and if
they did get hired then they were harassed in the workplace or not
promoted, they would only be given small jobs. Now in the more modern day
and age racial discrimination is not at blatant but it does happen. Racial
discrimination does not only to African Americans it happens to other races

as well. There are laws against racial discrimination in the workplace, but it
still happens a little more subtly. Racial discrimination can change and hinder
someones idea of success of and their ability to achieve it in the work place
by denying someone a job or holding them from promoting based on their
race.
Racial Discrimination is not only morally wrong but it is illegal. If
someone owns a business they are not allowed to not hire someones based
on their skin color. If someone feels like they are being racially discriminated
against them they can take legal action. Whichever form it takes, however,
racial discrimination is strictly prohibited by a number of federal and state
laws (Emplyment.findlaw.com). There are many cases of people who have
felt discriminated against and have fought against. Many big companies
have been called out for discrimination, one of these cases has to do with GE
and the way they were treating their African American workers. General
Electric came under fire in 2010 when 60 African-American workers filed suit
against the company for racial discrimination. The black workers say GE
supervisor Lynn Dyer called them racial slurs such as the N-word, monkey
and lazy blacks. The suit also alleges that Dyer denied bathroom breaks
and medical attention to black workers and fired black workers because of
their race. In addition, the suit alleges that higher-ups knew about the
supervisors inappropriate behavior but delayed investigating the
matter.(http://racerelations.about.com/). This company was caught for many
offences. Another example of racial discrimination was , Clothing retailer

Abercrombie & Fitch made headlines in 2003 after it was sued for
discriminating against African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos. In
particular, Latinos and Asians accused the company of steering them to jobs
in the stock room rather than on the sales floor because Abercrombie & Fitch
wanted to be represented by workers who looked classically American.
Minority employees also complained that theyd been fired and replaced by
white workers. A&F ended up settling the lawsuit for $50 million.(
http://racerelations.about.com/).
Racial discrimination can make people feel extremely uncomfortable in
a working environment. When in the workplace people may encounter racial
slurs or remarks that may make them feel uncomfortable or threatened in
the work place. In one case a man would go to work at LAX every morning to
fix the bathrooms and see many racial slurs and derogatory pictures on the
walls. When he entered a restroom at American's maintenance facility at the
airport one day in 1996, Walker was greeted by a handwritten sign proclaiming "All
Blacks Must Die."Later in the same restroom, which is also used by

supervisors, he found his name scrawled on the wall next to a Nazi swastika
and discovered a cartoon depiction of himself with the words "N-----, N-----,
N-----" written under his head. And he encountered a hangman's noose--a
symbol of lynchings--dangling in the main walkway leading to the nerve
center of American's servicing and repair facility. In August 1997, after
Walker filed a formal complaint with the state Department of Fair
Employment and Housing, American launched a formal investigation. Richard

J. Troy, the manager of American's LAX maintenance facility, issued a memo

declaring that "rope nooses" displayed in visible areas violated company
rules. Supervisors held meetings with employees on the issue and American
launched a "graffiti
patrol."(http://articles.latimes.com/1999/aug/09/news/mn-64019). That type
of racial discrimination was more blatant, but it is still an example of the
injustices that go on in the workplace. It was wrong for walker to have to go
to work and feel threatened, unwanted, and uncomfortable.

Racial discrimination can hinder someones chance of success by

denying them the opportunity to be promoted based on their race. This can
affect people who have families, or people who are struggling. It is not fair
that an individual that is more qualified for a job get passed based on their
skin color. Many people have started lawsuits against the city or companies
for these injustices. Here is one case imparticular Today, the Court will hear
oral arguments in another dispute over racial preferences, this time in the
workplace. In Ricci v. DeStefano, firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut who
passed a qualifying exam were denied promotions to lieutenant or captain
because of the color of their skin. They were white. The High Court will
decide whether New Haven violated civil rights law and the Constitution
when it threw out the results of the examinations after no black test takers
passed. The city doesn't deny that its decision to scrap the test was based on
race, but it justifies it under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which

requires employers not to rely on exams that have a racially disparate

impact. If it promoted the white candidates, the city says, it would face
lawsuits from the black candidates.(
http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB124035719714541031). The firefighter were
not justified in not promoting this firefighter, because they thought they the
other race mad by promoting that other officer. In this case a firefighter
wanted to be promoted and he was not promoted because he was
Caucasian. Their argument did not make any sense because they said that
they did not want a lawsuit from African Americans if they promoted a
Caucasian person.