The Civil Rights Act outlawed workplace discrimination based on skin color or race. Since that time, progress against racism in the workplace has occurred. This is particularly true with respect to blatant racism (racial slurs, derogatory remarks, blatantly racist actions, etc.). This progress has been the result not only of legislation, but also the result of changing social attitudes with respect to racism and discrimination. As Brief, Buttram, Reizenstein, and Pugh (1997) note, “Just 50 years ago, public opinion polls showed widespread acceptance of segregation and discrimination based upon race; today, these polls demonstrate that blatantly racist attitudes are no longer popular and racist expression are socially unacceptable” (59).
Despite such progress being made against racism in the workplace, statistics still demonstrate that the playing field between blacks and whites in the American workplace is far from level. While blatant racism and discrimination may be diminished in the workplace, a subtle form of racism that is just as pernicious pervades the contemporary work environment. If we look at the numbers, racism and discrimination appear to be alive and well in the American workplace. For example, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) registered more than 52,000 allegations of racial discrimination during 1992-1993 alone (Brief et al., 1997, 60). While all of these allegations may not be valid, income statistics show real inequalities do exist between blacks and whites in the American workplace. According to a series of studies, blacks make less than whites “in all jobs at all levels”, and real income for black families has stayed the same for 1979-1993, while rising 9% for white families during the same period (Brief et al., 1997, 60). Further, blacks are often segregated in the workplace in terms of employee-supervisor relations, and often are subjected to discrimination during the rec...