Singer Zaje Explores the Dilemma of Unemployed Black Men in America
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It’s no secret that black men with just a high school education are having a very hard time searching for and securing stable work. After researching this topic for a while as a mother of 3 young men and as a wife to a black man. The large number of studies showing that black men in the workplace are at a huge disadvantage is significant. Yet, the plight is ignored and continued.
In the introduction of the book Race and the Invisible Hand: How White Networks Exclude Black Men from Blue Collar Jobs, some research is touched on which displays the thought process around why high-school educated black men are having a difficult time securing employment in working-class positions. The author touched on ideas brought to her such as “…patterns most likely reflected racial discrimination and economic shifts that made fewer low-skilled jobs available to urban workers.” Also, it noted the mindset that “black men had poor attitudes and unrefined skills,” that made black men “less desirable as workers than other available low-skilled groups.”
Additionally, the book outlines a study that was conducted with black and white actors trained to dress, act, and talk exactly the same with the same credentials in their interviews with the same interviewers. The black interviewees were less successful (20% less)in securing employment simply because of race.
Now, while I don’t want to make this about race, those are a few studies and results that were centered on ethnicity. You can do a simple internet search and find tons of information on the subject. They are the blatant facts on the matter which are unfortunate and debilitating to the black man and his family.
One way to overcome this issue for black men holding just a high school diploma and who are in the working class is to become self-employed. With this in mind I pose this question: is it a better choice to start a business with a small family in tow because of the lack of opportunities in the workplace, or is it taking the easy way out? Is it easier to be entrepreneurial (with success rates in small business being very low) rather than endure a few years in college?
To then go a little deeper, what do you do as a black man when unable to adequately financially support your family? Do you work 2, 3, maybe 4 low-paying jobs to make ends meet and sacrifice precious time with your loved ones? Do you decide to start your own business, as I stated above? How does this issue psychologically affect our black men?
And, most importantly, what can we do about it?
Photo: Vox Efx/Flickr
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