Joycelyn Elderly

Alice Malsenior Walker, an African American born into poverty, came into this world on February 9, 1944 in Eatonon, Georgia. She was the youngest child of eight children born to Willie Lee and Minnie Tallulah Walkers. Both of her parents were sharecroppers as well as expert story tellers. Things were not easy for the Walkers and Alice often witnessed her mother’s frustration of having the burden to take care of eight children with little means. Even though children of share croppers were usually made to work the fields, Alice’s mother made sure that her kids received an education. Alice was brilliant at writing poetry.

In the same article by Forman, information shows that even African American with a high socioeconomic status don’t completely escape racial discrimination. In fact, the data collected showed the opposite. It was the African Americans who were well educated and incorporated to white society that still felt the most emotional distress in the workplace (Forman, 2003).

From Hollywood to the the social sector, diversity, rather the lack thereof, has been a topic of conversation. Although many organizations have begun to advocate for diversity, more work must be done. Across the social sector,women and people of color remain severely underrepresented in leadership positions. Organizations must become intentional about creating a diverse workforce and implementing inclusive policies that foster positive work environments. When employees feel represented and included they are happier and more likely to contribute to fulfilling the organization's mission.

Ann Marie Low’s diary opens in 1927 when she is a teenager living with her family on a stock farm in southeastern North Dakota. Low’s diary tells the story of her family's struggle to maintain a way of life, keeping their farm, and educate their children. She discusses her family and friends, descendants of homesteaders, through the next ten years, a time when entire communities lost their homes to mortgages and to government recovery programs. Low’s faces economic hardship, unfortunate family circumstances, and the restrictions that society had placed on women. Low's diary is about life in during the Dust Bowl, and Great Depression.

Companies and educational institutions greatly benefit from the guidelines of affirmative action because they profit from the different ideas, work styles, and contributions unique to each diverse individual. As quoted in Paul Connors’s compilation, Affirmative Action, President of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, addresses the importance of a diverse educational system by stating, “The experience of arriving on a campus to live and study with classmates from a diverse range of backgrounds is essential to students' training for this new world, nurturing in them an instinct to reach out instead of clinging to the comforts of what seems natural or familiar” (12-13). A statement by Southeastern Oklahoma State University further supports the idea that success in modern day society stems from diversity saying, “Our country is strong because of the rich diversity of our culture, not in spite of it” (Affirmative Action).

The late Mrs. Constance Baker Motley , married to Mr. Joel Wilson Motley, was born on September 14, 1921 in New Haven, Connecticut. Out of twelve children , she was the ninth. Her parents were from the islands of Nevis from the West Indies. Mrs. Motley’s mother, Rachel Huggins , was a domestic or also known as a housewife. Everyone loved to be around her and enjoyed her company. Her father , McCullough Baker , was a chef for a well known and reviewed university , Yale University. Noting that she was coming from a full family of twelve children , the money that her father was making didn’t really cut it for the family needs. Constance knew that her family wasn’t high class , so she had to make the best of it. When she was growing up in New Haven, Mrs.Constance

Diversity at Target, like everywhere, is a work in progress. Target is ahead of the national average in terms of minority hiring. Additionally, the company has a higher percentage of minorities in management positions than the industry average. “The Strength of Many. The Power of One,” is Target’s tagline for diversity. It is realized that we need many points of view all working towards the common goal in order to be successful. The goals set forward in this plan are: to increase diverse hire mix by 30% over last year; improve retention rate by 30% over last year; and to develop high potential diverse talent in the ST. Louis market. This can be done

The topic of minorities in the workforce and how the struggle to accomplish equal treatment in today’s workforce is nothing new to our society. For centuries we have been concerned that by bringing together our different backgrounds, skills, and experiences, as well as the many businesses of this great

According to Raymond A. Noe, affirmative action is an organization’s active effort to find opportunities to hire or promote people in a particular group (Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 68). There are various arguments for and against affirmative action. Some believe that it gives certain groups of people an equal opportunity to find employment where they would otherwise be kicked under the rug. Others believe that even though it creates an opportunity for minority groups, the issue of reverse discrimination comes into play where once predominantly white male jobs offerings go to women and minority groups instead. The topic of affirmative action remains very controversial and

Diversity in the workplace is a subject that has gained increased attention in the workplace over the past few years. After all, the impact of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity programs on the nation's work force is undeniable. Women and minorities were the first to dramatically alter the face of the economic mainstream, while gays, persons with disabilities and senior citizens followed not far behind. The result is a diverse American labor force representing a microcosm of our society - yet one that continues to struggle with its identity. Diversity as a social condition is not new to America. We were founded as a nation of Diversity. “America has always been a merger of cultures and, as such, has undergone periods of

In the late 1960’s the National Association of Black Accountants was founded in order to discuss challenges and limited opportunities faced by minorities in the accounting profession. The goal that founders hoped to accomplish was to establish an organization that not only addresses the concerns of incoming accounting professionals but to make a commitment to professional and academic excellence as well. Claiming the motto “Lifting as We Climb”, this organization is dedicated to inspire and help one another in building leaders and shaping future professionals in Accounting, Finance, Consulting, Information Technology, and other related business professions. By bridging the opportunity gap for all minorities, this organization has become a huge

Within the upper echelons of upper management is scant room for African American women. This mini-proposal outlines a research project that focuses on the phenomena of the nominal amount of African American women are in positions of management or organizational leadership within the City of Philadelphia.

There are a number of palpable advantages to having a multicultural labor force that is the product of a multicultural society. One of the foremost of these boons would be the degree of tolerance that would be inherently placed within such a society, particularly when it is reinforced by practical, daily examples of people of varying ethnicities and religious backgrounds working (effectively, in an ideal situation) together. Such examples may very well play a part in the reduction of bigotry and in conventional prejudice that is typically associated with differences in race and culture. This propensity to promote equality among differing people based upon a work experience that mirrors a multicultural society, such as that which may be found in several places of the United States and includes groups of African Americans, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Native Americans, Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans, may be based on a number of factors that includes rank and position within work environments, and a similar equality among different ethnicities found there. In some instances, multicultural education may be necessary for tolerance (Fuhr 1996, 11).

Today’s management in the workforce is composed of all types of people verses thirty years ago when white males held a majority of upper-management positions in companies. These positions are now held by a mixture of ethnic back grounds and women who hold just as many if not more management positions then men. Just by looking at the changes in management demographics shows how important it is for people to understand cultural competency in the workplace. Dr. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. (1999) stated, “Diversity is the collective mixture of whomever we have in our workforce characterized by their differences and similarities” (p.11). Managers and supervisors must understand the characteristics of a diversity mature individual; they also need to be

There are two major cultural divisions, Hispanic and Caucasian, to further complicate the work environment the ratio of Male to female workers is 20 to 1. No effort from either group of being sensitive to the others existence is apparent. (DuBrin, 2004, p. 67). Management’s main concern is for “ethnic diversity” to the point of not having issues with the equal employment opportunity act.