How Race is Lived in Agencies
Undressing a Genteel Racism

By BRANDON L. WARD

The longer I work in government and the more experienced I get, the harder it is to find a Mayor (or Governor, for that matter) who commands my respect on the issue of race from the very moment their administration is introduced. And even that number gets whittled down bit by bit the longer I watch their actions, decisions, characteristics and quirks on diversity in governmental agencies.

Brandon L. Ward is president of the New York City Municipal Chapter of Blacks in Government, an employee advocacy group. He is a Mechanical Engineer with the Department of Transportation. He can be reached at brandonward@nycbig.com.

Certainly, everything looks pretty good; that is, if you don't look too hard. After all, taking a long, hard look at agencies, here's the pigmentocracy you see: if you're white (preferably American-born) you're all right; if you're brown, stick around and if you're black, stay back.

Invisible At Top

The fact is, in microcosm, the absence of blacks (especially black males) in the hierarchy of agencies has become part of the accepted surroundings for most agency heads - so much so that they seem not to even recognize it. Perhaps they take it for granted and maybe even consider it normal. Understandably, cheerleaders of the administration's "commitment" to diversity would encourage us to jump up and down over the inclusionary managerial practices of the Bloomberg administration considering the eight years of the exclusionary Giuliani administration. The fact is, however, there are still huge racial inequalities in the workplace with respect to who gets the promotions.

In his critically acclaimed book, "The Rage of a Privileged Class," Ellis Cose writes: "Instead of 'things' happening, instead of careers taking off, blacks are being stymied. They are not running into glass ceilings, but one made of cement and steel." This seems to be the universal experience of black (especially male) professionals. (Tellingly, even career paths in Human Resources and EEO that have, generally speaking, been set aside for blacks are being filled by whites. For example, the newly appointed Deputy Commissioner of Citywide EEO, Diane Crothers, at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services is a white female from the Federal sector of government).

Certainly there is no better proof of this theory than my own experience. Here's a vignette. On Nov. 24, 2004, I applied to a Job Vacancy Request (JVR) in my division. However, several months had passed and no interviews were conducted. Surprisingly, the decision of the division's deciders-in-charge (DIC) was to repost the position.

A Long Acting Career

Nonetheless, I applied again in January 2005. Again, no interviews were conducted. Instead, they opted to have one of the candidates serve as the "acting deputy director'' - for the past three years. Interestingly, at the time of the interviews, the individual was unqualified based on the JVR's experience requirements. The question that begs an answer is, if one is unqualified based on the JVR requirements, are they not similarly unqualified to "act" in the position? Of course, the answer is, it helps if you are the neighbor of the commissioner (the former one).

What's scary to me is the fact that blacks are somehow expected to be uncritical (God forbid you show anger; especially for black males it will be conveniently used against you as "being too angry") in our acceptance of such agency practices. Of course, it's a no-brainer for leaders to condemn overt acts of racism in any of its manifestations - like placing a noose on the office door of a black professor, Madonna Constantine, at Columbia University's Teachers College, or in the locker of a black (FDNY) fireman. However, it's a different story for them to address the genteel racism in the workplace. According to the authors of the book, "Whitewashing Race", "hidden or subtle" racism is the form of racial bias that involves white individuals discriminating against blacks or other racial minorities without revealing their true motives. This kinder and gentler type of discrimination often requires collusion of other individuals with the perpetrator; other whites conveniently ignore acts of bias, so long as nobody verbalizes anything in racial terms.

For example, whites may have racist emotional reactions to blacks, and then personalize their racism by attributing their unease to some factor other than race, often blaming the black individual for some personal failing. Whites also often systematically misinterpret blacks' behavior in negative terms. Thus, while they might regard an outspoken white person as an "extrovert," they may perhaps label a similar black individual as "aggressive."

Put on a Happy Face

It is also interesting to note that, in employment situations, blacks are expected to be upbeat and bouncy continuously, or face criticism, whereas whites for the most part are allowed to be themselves.

James Baldwin once stated that being white means never having to think about it. This is perhaps the truest thing ever said about race in America. The fact is, in no other aspects of American life have there been more legislative, judicial and executive enactments than in the area of race. This notwithstanding, it would be unwise for me to attribute every action not to promote a black employee as evidence of racism, overt or subtle. Sometimes, sad to say, some decisions are made as an act of leadership hubris and arrogance. Bluntly stated, spitefulness. Take for example a recent encounter I had with the Executive Director (let's call him "ED" for short) of my division. Following my Aug. 31, 2007 article in the Chief, "What's Competent Got to Do with It? Rationalizing Qualification," I was told by my supervisor that ED wanted me (to paraphrase) knocked down a couple of pegs from the intended position as the Engineer-In-Charge to Office Engineer of a forthcoming contract. Of course, the only objective conclusion I can reach for this decision is retaliation, at best; at worst, discrimination. Don't get me wrong; while I do not negate the nuance of the latter reality, I am more convinced that this episode had more to do with the former. After all, I am not surprised by the chutzpah of an agency whose leadership would encourage us to believe that "ED" - an erstwhile highway repairer (without a college degree, no managerial experience and no proven performance record as a manager) - is qualified to supervise an engineering-decision based unit. Mind you, these are the same DICs who would dismiss out-of-hand a contractor as unqualified (in spite of his/her bridge construction experience) for lacking the requite bridge experience required to perform a contract.

Meant to Intimidate?

Historically speaking, the contempt demonstrated towards blacks from the founding of the nation to the latest headlines of hanging nooses makes me wonder if overt acts to intimidate blacks in the workplace are en vogue. Certainly, I am inclined to believe that the protests of the Civil Rights era were designed to draw the nation's attention to the brutal injustice of Jim Crow segregation and force the Federal Government to secure the rights of black citizens - with the underlying goal of full access for black people into the institutions of American Life. Unfortunately, it seems in most agencies that finding blacks for leadership positions is like looking for WMD in Iraq. They know we are there; it's only a matter of time before we are discovered.

In a May 11, 2001 opinion piece in NY Newsday, former Mayor Ed Koch stated that, "the single-most issue demanding the [next] Mayor's attention is racism." Of course, the next Mayor is the current Mayor, Michael Bloomberg. Truth is, I'm at a loss as to what would motivate or actually inspire someone like the Mayor, that is independent of special interest, to demonstrate a greater commitment to diversity in city agencies. But then again, the more I think about it, the less I understand considering recent complaints by some women against Bloomberg LP (the mayor's financial information company) alleging Mayor Bloomberg has "fostered, condoned and perpetuated a systematic top-down discrimination against female employees."

Must Start at Top

I suppose it's mostly an academic exercise to talk about the influence of leadership and leadership will in changing the "good ole boys" culture within the workplace. Much worse is, after six years of his administration, Mayor Bloomberg isn't convinced to be convincing, to this observer anyway, about his commitment to equity of opportunity for blacks in city government. Hence, I cannot avoid being touchy about the gnarly notion I've resisted all of my life: that is, in the end, we get the governments we deserve. Sad to say, but for this administration it's business as usual.