Meet Jose Zamora. Jose electronically applied for any job he felt qualified everyday, adding up to anywhere from 50 to 100 applications per day. Unfortunately, Jose never heard back from any companies, and uploading resumes with no response became a routine. After this disappointing routine began to take over his life, he decided to take the "s" out of his name on his resume, therefore becoming "Joe Zamora." Within a week, all of the companies he applied to with the name change got in contact with him and offered him an interview.
What Jose did was "whitewash" his resume. All he had to do was make his name sound more Caucasian - he didn't edit a single thing on the resume itself. According to recent studies, white applicants get 50% more callbacks from employers than Latino or African American applicants. This is a huge gap, and companies both consciously and subconsciously discriminate against potential applicants solely based on the ethnicity the employer associates with the name on the resume. Unfortunately, Jose is not the only person to change their identity in order to get a job. Besides changing their names, minorities have had to rearrange their previous experiences so black employers were not listed first. Furthermore, people who have attended historically black colleges have had to remove that portion of their education off of their resume for a chance at a job. Of the people interviewed for the article, one woman was afraid of the message she was sending to her children by "whitening" her resume and not embracing her background. This is startling based on the fact that affirmative action has been implemented to ensure that discrimination would cease in the work place.
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Affirmative action was implemented by by President Kennedy in 1961 during the Civil Rights movement. He stated that the point of affirmative action was, "to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." Affirmative action policies often focus on employment and education, which is why the need for "whitewashing" is disturbing. However, more and more organizations are replacing affirmative action programs with diversity programs. A lot of these diversity programs are ineffective; therefore, minority applicants and employees are experiencing backlash and discrimination based on their race and ethnic backgrounds.
There is cultural diversity all over the United States; in fact, my generation is the most culturally diverse group of people to date. People in my parents' generation are less likely to identify themselves as every background they are a part of; instead, they identify with the one that resonates with them the most. This may stem from the fact that from 1970-2000, people were only allowed to select one race on the census, making them feel "locked in" to that one specific race. However, things are much different now. Not only are college campuses full of diversity, but now cultural diffusion occurs in areas such as politics, business, and sports. Interracial relationships are no longer a taboo in society; they are very common. Sadly, interracial people and relationships still receive backlash. One young man reported his family constantly asking him, "Why don't you date a Hispanic girl?" when he brought an African American girl home. Another young man stated that because he was always being tug-of-warred by both sides of his family to choose a side, he had no desire to identify with any race.
I have a very strong reaction to this. It is 2014. People should be able to live their lives how they want without judgment. People should not be penalized for something they have no control over, such as their race or ethnic background. Instead, they should be able to celebrate life and their diversity. It is disturbing that people have very limited and restricted opportunities because of who they are, so much so that they need to change themselves in order to find acceptance. We are all people. There is no reason for dominant and oppressed groups to exist. We are all the same species, and we are all given the same chance at life. Haile Selassie, who was the Emperor of Ethiopia for 58 years during the 20th century, stated, “This world was not created piecemeal. Africa was born no later and no earlier than any other geographical area on this globe. Africans, no more and no less than other men, possess all human attributes, talents and deficiencies, virtues and faults.” This eye-opening quote, along with the work of many advocates for racial equality, show the hunger for acceptance that these people want.
Affirmative action was implemented by by President Kennedy in 1961 during the Civil Rights movement. He stated that the point of affirmative action was, "to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." Affirmative action policies often focus on employment and education, which is why the need for "whitewashing" is disturbing. However, more and more organizations are replacing affirmative action programs with diversity programs. A lot of these diversity programs are ineffective; therefore, minority applicants and employees are experiencing backlash and discrimination based on their race and ethnic backgrounds.
There is cultural diversity all over the United States; in fact, my generation is the most culturally diverse group of people to date. People in my parents' generation are less likely to identify themselves as every background they are a part of; instead, they identify with the one that resonates with them the most. This may stem from the fact that from 1970-2000, people were only allowed to select one race on the census, making them feel "locked in" to that one specific race. However, things are much different now. Not only are college campuses full of diversity, but now cultural diffusion occurs in areas such as politics, business, and sports. Interracial relationships are no longer a taboo in society; they are very common. Sadly, interracial people and relationships still receive backlash. One young man reported his family constantly asking him, "Why don't you date a Hispanic girl?" when he brought an African American girl home. Another young man stated that because he was always being tug-of-warred by both sides of his family to choose a side, he had no desire to identify with any race.
I have a very strong reaction to this. It is 2014. People should be able to live their lives how they want without judgment. People should not be penalized for something they have no control over, such as their race or ethnic background. Instead, they should be able to celebrate life and their diversity. It is disturbing that people have very limited and restricted opportunities because of who they are, so much so that they need to change themselves in order to find acceptance. We are all people. There is no reason for dominant and oppressed groups to exist. We are all the same species, and we are all given the same chance at life. Haile Selassie, who was the Emperor of Ethiopia for 58 years during the 20th century, stated, “This world was not created piecemeal. Africa was born no later and no earlier than any other geographical area on this globe. Africans, no more and no less than other men, possess all human attributes, talents and deficiencies, virtues and faults.” This eye-opening quote, along with the work of many advocates for racial equality, show the hunger for acceptance that these people want.
Very interesting Lauren. The fact that in this day and age we still judge a book by its cover is senseless. Kudos to Jose for finding a way to get the interview by changing it to Joe. Unfortunately, he should not have had to, however, he found a way and hopefully proved himself capable of the position he applied for. Very great blog..and anot eye opener. While we have come a long way in equal opportunity, it seems to me we still have work to do. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI like how this blog addresses many political policies along with ethnic identity. It seems that these ideas of caucasian supremacy should be gone because the year is 2014, but as seen in the case of Jose, people still hold to their stereotypes. There are still so many struggles that minorities have to go through to be taken seriously and to start a life. Overcoming hardships of high school, trying to get into college, and then trying to find a job. It is sad that these things are still made so difficult for minorities. Great Job on the blog!
ReplyDeleteWell written blog. It's very unfortunate that situations like Jose's (not Joe's) exist in our society. Equally disturbing is that an African American who graduated from college had to alter their resume to not show that they went to an "African American" school. Well written blog. It's very unfortunate that situations like Jose's (not Joe's) exist in our society. Equally disturbing is that an African American who graduated from college had to alter their resume to not show that they went to an "African American" school. If a candidate meets the qualifications listed in a job description, they should be reviewed and considered, regardless of their ethnicity, etc.
ReplyDeletePlease tell your parents that I enjoy reading their comments.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog.I love how you seamlessly move from one topic to another. The Jose story kicks a punch. I am also glad that you mentioned Affirmative Action. This program has had a controversial shelf life and as you mentioned is finally falling out of favor. Would we have a black president without the existence of affirmative action? My guess is no. I share your frustration with backward people and things are getting better but I still think the climb is a steep one.
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