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I am surprised when I hear or read how outraged a white person gets when affirmative action, in its effort to create opportunity for a more diverse cross-section of the population, causes them to lose a job opportunity to a person of color. Where was the white passion for justice during the 245 years of slavery in this nation? Where was it in the following 100 years when legalized discrimination prevented qualified African-Americans from being even considered for white collar jobs or entry into the best universities?

Only during the past 40 years has the law begun to protect their right to function on an even playing field with other Americans. Even during that 40 years and on into the present, many schools and employers resent Americans who continue to fight for justice and equality for all citizens of our nation. I doubt that those who are accustomed to privilege gave a second thought to the fairness or unfairness of educational and employment opportunities in America as long as they were the ones who benefited from the fact that everything was stacked in their favor.

Workforce diversity lives up to its promise, only to the extent that employers actually have followed the law, and only to the extent that the law has been enforced. Without these laws, many employers of all races and ethnic backgrounds hire their own kind rather than a person of a different race or ethnic group, even if that person were better-qualified, without even thinking about why they do it.

An example of unconscious discrimination comes to us from a study done about 10 years ago in math classrooms. First, the classes were videotaped without the teachers being told the reason. When the teachers asked a question and students raise their hands, they called on the boys almost exclusively. When asked later why they had done this, they said it was because boys are more likely to get the answer right, and they didn't want their students to come off badly in the video.

Next, in another school, teachers were TOLD that the videotaping was being done to see whether girls or boys got more teacher attention in math classes. Even when they knew that they were being watched for this favoritism, and made an obvious point of including girls, they called on the boys much more often and made much more encouraging comments to them.
When shown the videotapes after the classes were over, the teachers were astounded. One of them said ruefully, "I guess I'm so unaccustomed to calling on girls that even calling

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