WHAT'S BEHIND THE RACE GAP?

There has been less attention paid to the concentration of these loans in neighborhoods that are largely black, Hispanic, or both. This pattern, documented in federal loan records, holds true even when comparing white middle-income or upper-income neighborhoods with similar minority ones.

Consider two neighborhoods in the Detroit area. One, located in the working-class suburb of Plymouth, is 97 percent white with a median income of $51,000 in 2000. To the east, a census tract in Detroit just inside Eight Mile Road has a very similar median income, $49,000, but the population there is 97 percent black.

Last year, about 70 percent of the loans made in the Detroit neighborhood carried a high interest rate — defined as 3 percentage points more than the yield on a comparable Treasury note — while in Plymouth just 17 percent did.

Last year, blacks were 2.3 times more likely, and Hispanics twice as likely, to get high-cost loans as whites after adjusting for loan amounts and the income of the borrowers, according to an analysis of loans reported under the federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. (Asians are somewhat less likely than whites to take out high-cost loans.
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LOCKHEED MARTIN TO PAY $2.5 MILLION TO SETTLE RACIAL HARASSMENT LAWSUIT

EEOC Says African American Electrician Subjected to ‘N-Word’ and Threats of Lynching at Worksites Across the Country

HONOLULU -- The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a major settlement of a race discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest military contractor, for $2,500,000 and other relief on behalf of an African American electrician who was subjected to a racially hostile work environment at several job sites nationwide – including threats of lynching and the “N-word.”

 The monetary relief for former Lockheed employee Charles Daniels is the largest amount ever obtained by the EEOC for a single person in a race discrimination case, and one of the largest amounts recovered for an individual in any litigation settlement by the agency.  Additionally, the Bethesda, Md.-based company agreed to terminate the harassers and make significant policy changes to address any future discrimination, the EEOC said at a press conference in Hawaii.
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According to the EEOC and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Discrimination filings have increased.  Discrimination can be hard to prove and requires the skills of an experienced attorney.  There are several protected classes under California law; i.e., Race, National Origin, Disability, Medical Condition, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Age, Gender and Religion.  Retaliation, Whistle-Blower, Wrongful Termination, Harassment and Sexual Harassment are often related to the Discrimination.  Under California law, an employer can be liable for pain & suffering, lost wages, future loss of earnings capacity, punitive damages and for attorney's fees and costs.  To find whether you have a case, please click here.

Workplace Discrimination

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In all aspects of employment, an employer must treat all employees without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion,sex, pregnancy and childbirth, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age (40 or older) physical or mental disability, or medical condition.

Sexual Harassment

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Employees are often under the impression that all forms of “harassment” or generalized bad treatment at work are prohibited by law. Harassment includes all forms of offensive or unwelcome physical or verbal conduct based on any of these factors interferes with work.

Pregnancy Discrimination

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State and Federal laws explicitly prohibit employers from harassing demoting termination or otherwise discriminating against employees for becoming pregnant, or for requesting or taking pregnancy leave. Returning from Pregnancy Disability,you are entitled to the same position.

Why should you think twice before reporting racial discrimination to HR?

by Carmen Van Kerckhove

In my latest post for New Demographic's blog Race in the Workplace, I tackle the question of what you should do if you're the victim of racial discrimination at your job. Here's an excerpt:

Think twice before reporting racial discrimination to your company's human resources department. Why? Because it's not always the most effective strategy.

Read on for a step-by-step guide on what to do if you believe your supervisor is discriminating against you because of your race.

1. Ask Yourself If It's Truly Racial Discrimination

All people of color have an internal racism radar. For some, it's turned all the way up so that they see racial conspiracy around every corner. For others, it's turned all the way down so that they are in denial about how racism affects their lives. For most of us, it's somewhere in-between.

Before you take any action, ask yourself if you are sure that you’re being discriminated against because of your race. Does your supervisor treat other people of your racial or ethnic group poorly too? Or does she only pick on you? Could there be other reasons you’re being passed over for raises or promotions? Are your colleagues better situated in terms of performance, education, experience, or skills? Are they better at cultivating relationships with the boss or making their accomplishments known? Is it a personality issue? Could it be that you’re just not well-liked by your coworkers?

You don’t want to be known as the little boy who cried wolf. So be brutally honest with yourself and face your flaws. If after this thorough self-analysis you still believe that you’re experiencing racial discrimination, then you should take action.

 

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