Folks are getting all bent out of shape that Essence hired a white fashion director. Here's a story from a guy who worked for Vibe and King magazines who tells the real scoop of what's going on within the so-called black magazine industry.
Click HERE to read Jozen Cummings' article
I saw an interview a week ago on the Today show about this story. Here is an important question that was asked: Are there any Black people being trained for this position? Sure there are blacks in the fashion industry but could they have filled this position with a qualified black person.
ReplyDeleteThe Cummings' article did not address this question. What he does write about is his experience working with whites and blacks at a black magazine. So we should expect to see whites working for a black magazine. This makes sense because of the employment discrimination laws.
If we want to have a black person in the position of Fashion Director for any magazine, we would hope that someone out there is being trained for the job.
If Essence wanted to hire a black fashion director, they could have found one. But who knows, many the person they hired was the most qualified. I ain't mad at them for their choice since I'll never have all the facts. However, your other point about employment discrimination does not hold up. There are plenty of companies that have no intention of hiring black workers and will never be labeled as discriminating for that policy. So please don't imply that Black companies must hire whites to appear that they are not discriminating. The reality is that there is no 'fair' when it comes to hiring and firing based on color as much as we'd like to think and hope that it is.
ReplyDeleteMr. Roots, I did not imply but you sure assumed. As a Black woman in the education field, I have been discriminated against for jobs that I have applied for and interviewed for. I had to take my lumps because it's who you know or something to do with politics. Some of these places deserve a class action suit for their blatant acts of discrimination against others. There are a lot of stories out there. I simply, set out to share another point of view with you and your audience.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right there are plenty of companies that are still practicing discrimination even though they still display “does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, age or sexual orientation”.
With 3 White women on the Supreme Court, hopefully there's a qualified Black woman that will be considered next time. Keep hope alive!!!
ReplyDelete