Our systems, institutions, and outcomes emanate from the racial hierarchy, on which the United States was built. In other words, we have a ‘groundwater’ problem, and we need ‘groundwater’ solutions.
The Racial Equity Institute
Advancing racial equity in the workplace requires action-oriented work. Black employees, in particular, face challenges such as structural inequities of geography and underrepresentation in industries that could create additional opportunities to the behaviors within their workplaces.
The report discusses ten key challenges that organizations and other stakeholders must address to create opportunities:
- Higher unemployment for Black workers compared with other workers
- Geographic mismatches between Black workers and opportunity
- Underrepresentation of Black workers in faster-growing, higher-wage industries
- Underrepresentation of Black workers in higher-wage jobs
- Underrepresentation of Black workers in the most in-demand jobs
- The disproportionate impact of technology and future-of-work trends on Black workers
- A double broken rung with lower odds of advancement and higher attrition for frontline and entry-level jobs
- Low Black representation in executive levels
- A trust deficit among Black employees toward their companies
- A lack of managerial sponsorship and allyship for Black employees