Still fighting job bias, two centuries later
I did not realize that Rep. George White, R-N.C., the last Black Member of Congress in the 19th century, was very likely my cousin. It is my Black History Month surprise.
George White and I have had a common mission. In his last speech on the House Floor which was titled, “The Negro’s Farewell to Congress,” he complained about Black people not being allowed to hold certain jobs by law. Today I argue that some bad white people in powerful positions are doing the same in a de facto manner.
Here is an excerpt from White’s speech:
“We have done it in the face of lynching, burning at the stake, with the humiliation of “Jim Crow” laws, the disfranchisement of our male citizens, slander and degradation of our women, with the factories closed against us, no Negro permitted to be conductor on the railway cars…no Negro permitted to run as engineer on a locomotive, most of the mines closed against us. Labor unions — carpenters, painters, brick masons, machinists, hackmen and those supplying nearly every conceivable avocation for livelihood — have banded themselves together to better their condition, but, with few exceptions, the black face has been left out. The Negroes are seldom employed in our mercantile stores…”
Today finding mid-level managers and upper-level executives of color is rare.
Decades later George White’s cousin (me) would work for 10 years in Labor Relations/Human Resources for Fortune 500 companies. Among my other duties, every day I fought for people of all hues to have an opportunity to compete for employment at the company and advance as their skills and achievements would warrant. But of equal importance was the overall employment practices by the managers at the company.
Whenever a manager would even think about doing something from an employment perspective that was outside the
policies and procedures of the company — rules established by the board of directors — I was instructed to treat it as an illegal action. When Black people were involved it was a possible violation of the Civil Rights law of 1964.
For example, you could not pay a person of color below the salary range. Another problem was when a minority would break quantifiable monetary goals, but that would not be good enough for a promotion, while for a white person that was the main reason for a promotion.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is supposed to be the enforcement agency to protect the employment rights of AfricanAmericans. Today the EEOC is a shell of itself from the 1980s. It has experienced deep cuts (been “defunded”) with staffing reductions of nearly 45% over the last 40 years, while the American workplace has grown by over 50% during that same period. The EEOC lacks the teeth to properly wage the fight against those who are determined to discriminate against African-Americans.. When it can be funded better and has the manpower to do its job, we will see more fairness in the workplace.
While teaching at Georgetown, Hampton, and the University of Virginia, I made Congressman White’s last speech on the House Floor an integral part of my class. Little did I know we were likely cousins.
When White departed from Congress, it took nearly 30 years to elect another Black person to Congress. That was Oscar DePriest. Both were Republicans. However, there would not be another Black Republican elected to Congress again until I was elected in 1990.
In addition to White and my great grandparents, I had remarkable parents who worked hard to raise six children — two doctors, a colonel, an attorney, and a coach/teacher.
I will always remember — Put God first, work hard, and be thankful to God for your achievements. And, look in the mirror when you hit a bump in the road. Don’t blame others.
I have been blessed.
Gary Franks served three terms as U.S. representative for Connecticut’s 5th District. He was the first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years and New England’s first Black member of the House. / Tribune News Service