Personal Experiences of Discrimination
Commission on African American Affairs, Members and Staff
Originally Published on July 1, 2007
At various times and under various circumstances, we -- the members and staff of the Commission on African American Affairs -- have experienced the following:
In the marketplace we have been:
- followed and scrutinized by security personnel in retail stores
- "steered" into certain neighborhoods and school districts by real estate agents and property managers
- seated near the kitchen in restaurants when better tables were visible
- More on Disparate Treatment in the marketplace (Under Construction)
On the job we have been:
- passed over for employment or promotion while less-capable people of other races were advanced
- paid less for the same or even higher-level work than people of other races
- gotten less rewarding assignments than co-workers of other races with the same skills and backgrounds
- assumed to be less competent than White or Asian co-workers with the same (or sometimes lesser) educational backgrounds and portfolios of work experience
- More on Employment Discrimination (Under Construction)
On the street we have been:
- called the "N" word by Whites on the street More on the "N" Word
- pulled over for apparently "driving while Black," usually by municipal or county police
- More on Racial Profiling (Under Construction)
In public educational settings we or our children have been:
- steered toward less demanding career choices or coursework by counselors/advisors, despite having high test scores and grades
- referred to special education, despite having no learning disabilities or intellectual deficits
- More on Disparate Treatment in the Classroom (Under Construction)
In addition to experiencing these things ourselves, we hear complaints of similar experiences from constituents, friends, and family. These experiences are shared by nearly all Black people, to varying degrees.
