The majority of my academic and employment careers have been in predominantly African American environments. There was a stint where I audited for a nationwide title insurance company and one could feel the tension in the air while there. But I don't think it was anything other than unfamiliarity. You can never fault others for lack of exposure to those of other ethnic groups. As mentioned in the post, it's when assumptions are made based upon the ethnic group where you start to get into hot water.

Thanks for the link to your post. I read it and it just confirms the prejudice that many people of colour seem to expect at their workplace.

That HR 'is scared of protected classes' (lets even not go into the semantics there) is one thing.

But that HR assumes that somehow, by virtue of having an option to sue, all 'protected classes' somehow suspend their judgement and self-appraisal capabilities*, is an altogether more damning thing.

* By saying that somehow a black woman or a pregnant woman has the option to remain angry because she can sue and _may_ sue, this is what is implied. So somehow a white man can accept his 'low performance' as a reason for being fired, but a black woman or a pregnant woman can't!

It does illustrate that companies are more cautious because they are more conscious of race as an issue. Being black/ white/ yellow/ green is not a choice, being pregnant is. Different things so to lump them together is a bit intellectually louche.

Somehow I do find it hard to believe that the job of 'protecting the company' falls on HR. I say 'hard to believe' but in fact I am laughing so hard I can barely type. Sorry if you are offended. It wasn't my intent.

David Weinberger relates the story of a resident of South Africa whose official race changed four times during his life, as the laws of apartheid changed the definition of black and white. These changes forced him end his marriage as it became illegal when his changed. If you call yourself a "black person" or a "white person", you are using the same logical framework, if not the same consequences.

How can Asian be a race? It seems incredibly racist to label Asians as one race in the US. Are people from Lebanon, China, and India related somehow? It's a useless label. As Tom Peters says- never say the word "Asian" again. It only makes you look stupid.

Tell a child that he or she belongs to a particular race or religion is one of the biggest lies that you can force upon them. I don't know what label to thrust upon my children. I reject all of them, and all of you who would call them mixed-race or other euphemisms for miscegenation.

Let's strike down any mention of race- positive or negative. It's all bad. I am not pretending that it doesn't exist, as the incredibly offensive Rule 1 above suggests. I am just suggesting that anyone who attempts to use those classifications for any purpose should be stopped. Race is racist.

I don't think she meant to say that people of color are more likely to cause trouble when being fired I think she was simply stating a fact that when you fire a minority in the work place (whether race minority, gender minority, sexual preference minority) they have another "case" they can make for their firing besides being a poor worker. If you are a white male in an office of 99% females (of the same race or different) and you get fired, and you believe(correctly or not) this firing is not deserved, that you could pull your gender card and say, "I'm being fired b/c I have the only penis in the office!" People in the minority always can use their minority status to question the firirings/demotions that take place in offices… write or wrong it's a game of odds.