Laid Off: Was it due to "race"?

The Milton Report

Milton A. Brown

Laid Off: Was it due to “race”?

November 7, 2009

Volume 13: issue 4

“…there is no biological basis for separation of human beings into races and…the idea of race is a relatively recent social and political construction.” (2002, The Emperor’s new clothes: biological theories of race at the millennium, Joseph L. Graves, Jr., p.1.)

I am really trying to eliminate “race” as a factor in my thinking during the course of my interactions with others. I am discovering, similar to the murder that is reported on the nightly news, if I mind my own business and don’t turn on the television or read the newspapers, someone will tell me anyway.

I was awakened out of a dead sleep by the thoughts of a conversation I had earlier that day. It was like an epiphany thrust upon me with the vigor and vitality of the person who says, “Duh?” when you fail to see the obvious. The terror I experienced as I attempted to process the thought was not necessarily because I was the object of the “Duh” experience. I have had those before and it is embarrassing when you fail to see what is clearly in front of you. This time, however, it was due to the question I had to ask myself as a result of the conversation. The question of race was raised as a potential factor in determining my recent employment status.

Five months ago I was laid off in another company downsizing effort that is so typical of American business these days that people don’t really flinch when you tell them you are “between jobs.” They know that “laid off” is a euphemism for indicating you have been fired. The company decides to save money and cut costs and that means your job is typically part of that plan. At the core of the rationale behind layoffs is cost savings. It is simply a numbers game and your number gets called. Your salary and benefits are subtracted from the operating expenses of the organization, and theoretically, cost savings are the result.

Basically, you get fired to save money.

Five months ago I was fired…err, “laid off” and I never really questioned if it had anything to do with my race until today.

Did I get laid off because of my race?

I did not ask myself this question when I was hired. In other words, I did not have any reason to believe that my race was a component of getting hired. When I got hired, it was my understanding that my employment was due to my credentials, experience, willingness to exchange my energy and expertise for money, and the employer’s need. No discussion took place indicating that my race was an advantage for the position, nor was my race a factor in helping me perform the duties of the position.

Nearly one year after the election of the first African-American President of the United States and over thirty years after the question of affirmative action as a constitutionally acceptable means of eliminating workforce discrimination and promoting fairness, and over forty years since Dr. Martin Luther King eloquently spoke of people being judged by the content of their character, race is still a factor in the employment process (hiring and firing).

Why must I still think about race in 2009? Things have changed since 1964 - right?

It may be due to the notion that things have not really changed since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Or, the dream Dr. King discusses in his “I Have a Dream” speech is still more of a dream than reality. Or, now that the United States has elected an African-American president, we can all sit back and truly believe that our society is color blind and race does not matter anymore. That is, because race is not supposed to be a factor, it simply means I am compelled to think about it even more.

During the course of this conversation I had with my friend, I was told: 1) “the last one hired is the first one fired.” 2) “you have to be twice as good”, and 3) “you know how they do.” The implication being that I was laid off because I was the wrong race. Somehow it was suggested that if I were white (i.e., “they”), I would still be employed. Frankly, I don’t know that. I could allow myself to believe that and really become bitter. I choose not to do that. I personally know people from many different ethnic groups and “races” who are looking for work these days, including those who are part of the “they” “race.” I guess I never really thought about the question of race in my situation. Am I naïve? No. Am I in denial? No. Do I think Dr. King’s dream has been made manifest? No.

I do know this. The question of race will always exist. I don’t believe it should be the first question, but it is certainly one of the questions. I have personally tried to live the dream Dr. King made famous in his eloquence. I suppose that is why I did not think about race initially in my personal circumstance. Unfortunately, I had someone who felt compelled to remind me.

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“It is calming to know that when the final trumpet sounds,

My life will not have ended in vain.

I will run out of time before I run out of words. God has given me the gift of my thoughts.

He has given me the gift of the pen.

I need to use them both to show His will does win….” 1

(1) Excerpt from the poem “ The Things That Matter” –

Included in Voices Inside My Head – Poetry Inspired By God To Heal Pain

Copyright © 2009 Milton A. Brown