Graduating from college with a degree would usually put you first in line to get the job. With unemployment at an all time low, you need more than just a degree; you need the right skin color. The unemployment rate for black men with college degrees was nearly twice that of whites in 2009. Though the gap has been slightly less for female college graduates, the difference for both genders between blacks and whites has been greater among the college educated -- a shift from the past.
But there is ample evidence that racial inequities remain when it comes to employment. Black joblessness has long far outstripped that of whites. And strikingly, the disparity for the first 10 months of this year, as the recession has dragged on, has been even more pronounced for those with college degrees, compared with those without. Education, it seems, does not level the playing field — in fact, it appears to have made it more uneven.
As a young black man getting ready to join the work force, this worries me. Despite how far we have come in terms of equal rights for all Americans, it's really sad that the color of my skin may still hold me back from reaching my full potential.
(via The New York Times)
Previously:
- Having an Ethnic Name Can Cost You A Job
- 'Post-Race America' or Recovering Racist?
- Oakland race symposium exposes unfairness in education
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