Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith (Carr-Ruffino,
2009).
Affirmative Action was designed to end unfair workplace discrimination against certain groups of
people who have historically experienced discrimination. It opened doors to better-paying jobs for
minorities and women, which made them new competitors for jobs formerly held by Euro-American men.
Affirmative Action requires employers to take action to bring in under-represented groups of people into
better jobs. This increases the chances for a minority employee to actually get one of these jobs—without
having to file a complaint. If a company doesn‘t meet its diversity goals, it is not penalized, as long as
management can show that they are making a good-faith effort to create a diverse workforce (Carr-
Ruffino, 2009).
We conducted an interview with an African American leader, to get his perspectives and
experiences. He stated that it was challenging to work his way into his current position. Those challenges
were no different than any other group would have experienced. He did not experience a glass ceiling
because others have fought for decades to ensure his rights and equality, but he still had to work hard to
get to the position he is in. When asked about stereotypes, he said that they are difficult to fight, but that
every group has them. The stereotype that he has dealt with the most has been his ―being too young.‖
With Affirmative Action an organization cannot hire someone based purely on their ethnicity. According
to this African American leader, a person must meet qualifications for a position. After the hiring process,
if the person they choose is of a different ethnicity, it will create diversity in the workplace, but the person
must still have the qualifications necessary for the job.
Overall, our findings from researching our topic have helped us, and hopefully others as well,
learn more about African Americans and what they deal with on a daily basis in the workplace. Whether
it is stereotyping or trying to break through the glass ceiling, all ethnicities have dealt with these issues,
including African Americans. We now have a better understanding of what African Americans and those
of other ethnicities have to deal with. We hope that when we enter the workforce, we will be able to be
better employees due to our research and knowledge on the topic of discrimination.
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