That Race Thing

It’s been a while since I’ve addressed the race issue–in politics or the workplace.  But with the Pennsylvania primary, there it is again.  As noted in the New York Times and other publications, race made a difference in the outcome of that primary, and some are now wondering whether an African-American can get the Democratic nomination or be elected President.  To spell it out, a sizable number of voters in Pennsylvania didn’t vote for Obama because he’s black, and it’s feared that a sizable number of voters won’t vote for him in November for the same reason.

If true, doesn’t that mean that there are people who won’t hire a black applicant, who will treat white employees better than black employees, and who will fire black employees before they will white employees?  An article in the Columbus Dispatch gives a little insight into what the answer to this question might be.

There’s a flip side to this.  If black voters believe that Obama is denied the nomination because of race, they may just stay home, denying the Democratic Party votes from one of its most traditionally reliable bases.  If true, doesn’t this mean that there are people who will continue to believe that every adverse action taken against them in the workplace is based on race?

Should this scenario play out, it seems to me that we end up in a worse place on the issue of race than where we were when the presidential campaign began.  After so much talk about hope and change and a post-race society, we decide to punt–or worse, call off the game.  I’m not saying Obama should be the Democratic nominee because he’s black.  I am saying that he shouldn’t be denied the nomination because he’s black.  If he is, that has a lot to say about our thinking when it comes to employment and the workplace.

I’ve encouraged you to engage your employees in discussions about the issue of race, using the presidential campaign as the basis for dealing with an issue that’s been a source of so many workplace and employment law problems.  It’s still not too late.