African-American Experiences in the Workplace: Miseducation Goes a Long Way

The purpose of this study was to learn how Blacks believe race affects their workplace interactions with Whites and why. The most compelling finding of the study: participants believed mis-education influenced workplace interactions. The implications of the study: how the relationship between racism, racial identity and education affects workplace interactions. Theoretical Framework Racial identity may be defined as a "sense of group or collective identity, based on one's perception, that he or she shares a common racial heritage with a particular racial group" (Helms, 1990, p. I). The various models on black and white racial identity explore the psychology or development process (stages) by which a person develops his/her racial identity (Cross, 1991; Helms, 1990; Jackson, 2001). Research suggests the development of one's racial identity begins as early as childhood years. According to Tatum (1997), children as young as three years of age recognize racial differences such as skin color, hair texture and facial features. In recognizing these differences, children begin to raise questions about their own racial identity, as well as the racial identity of others. It is when children enter adolescence, however, that they begin to grapple with serious questions regarding racial identity. Black adolescents, in particular, must think about themselves in terms of race because it is how the rest of the world views them (Tatum, 1997). As Black and White children struggle through the maze of racial identity, education and teachers play an integral role in shaping that identity, as well as formulating opinions and perceptions of people of different color. The effects of education on racial identity development are evident in students' reaction to what they learn, educationally and socially, in the public school system. For example, schools have established a system whereby students' achievement is measured based on standardized tests, which may be racially and culturally biased, as opposed to individual student performance. Further, many students in the United States still attend segregated schools where the curriculum centers on the achievements of Whites and Europeans, while seldom depicting Blacks in favorable ways. The result is that students are socialized to believe that there is a white and right standard to be attained. "Schooling [therefore] seeks to teach African-American children their lack of importance in the educational and social worlds" and students respond to this by "seeking to reaffirm their identities as competent and worthwhile persons . "(Beckman, 1995, p. 126). Teachers can significantly influence student racial identity development through their classroom practices, such as their attitude towards diversity and the curriculum they emphasize (Branch, 1999). A very common example of this occurs during Black History Month. Teachers utilize Black History Month as a means to highlight the contributions and accomplishments of prominent Blacks, such as Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr. However, such key figures are only studied during the month of February. This devalues the contributions of Blacks to American history by separating Black history from White history. Such classroom practices "are standards for children, implicitly and explicitly" (Branch, 1999, p. 23).