there is a balance in this country that the established power structure will protect until their dying breath.  people seem to think that having had a black president means that we have arrived, but they fail to realize that the power elite beneath and beside him were by and large, not people of color. i’ll swan dive into the political realm in a later post but what i recognize is that the same power elite that exists in government is alive and well running (ruining) corporate america.

while in a meeting with THE SENATORS, i learned who would hold one of the open positions (an unqualified white female), no mention of the other candidate.  i also learned that a white male who was hired after i joined (he’s been with the company for 9 months) recommended a friend of his and this (assumedly) white male was hired.  given that i finally have a seat at the table, albeit the kiddie table, i decided to use that to my advantage and pitch qualified candidates of color to join the team.  i referred two external candidates and one internal candidate of color (male and female) for the open positions. i submitted their resumes, coached the internal candidate on the nascent team, and followed up with HR.  i was encouraged to submit candidates; this was not merely wishful thinking on my part.  after all decisions were made and i sent in resumes i was told, the sveep has found candidates and will make offers this week.  we’ll keep them in mind for future opportunities in the group.

(record scratch, rewind). i’ve been at the company for over a year, i know my craft, i am unique in that no one else in the department has my skill set. i have recommended qualified candidates three times and none of them have scored an interview.  what am i left to conclude?  that a white male perspective and recommendation carries more weight than that of an SBF?  or is it that…hmmm, i truly cannot concoct a viable reason for why my recommendations were dismissed. the leadership team has noted more than once the lack of diversity in the organization. i brought them two qualified candidates and neither was considered. decisions had been made well before i sent in their resumes.

THE SENATORS have nothing to gain by altering the structure and sharing control with more women or people of color. in fact, they have everything to lose, hence the election of the asshat we call president and his white nationalist tagline “make america great again.” as if the country ceased from greatness over the past eight years. or maybe the message is, the country will only be great again when a white is back in power. oh wait, i said i would save my political rant for another post and i shall. there is much to be said about the various bills, amendments, referendums, and measures drafted to combat the political elite; an effort that keeps scads of activists busily researching and lobbying for months, years even, to dismantle the blockades erected by the power structure. the day we, that is people of color, both in corporate america and in the united states of america figure out how to speak as one, is the day the power elite will crumble like a skyscraper stuffed with sticks of dynamite. until then, i will do my best to use my seat at the table, by tapping the tines of my fork against my goblet to get their attention, and then serve them the fluffiest chocolate cream pie with a generous scoop of white, creamy, whipped cream. with a smile.  the same shit pie they serve us when they explain why we did not receive the promotion, the appointment, the raise. i have my SBF playbook out and i’m keeping score and names too.