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Omaha Steve

(99,077 posts)
Thu Jul 2, 2020, 07:16 PM Jul 2020

Black worker files discrimination complaint against Facebook

Source: AP

By BARBARA ORTUTAY

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A Black Facebook employee, joined by two others who were denied jobs at the social network, has filed a complaint against the company, saying it discriminates against Black workers and applicants in hiring, evaluations, promotions and pay.

The charge was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by Oscar Veneszee, Jr., who has worked as an operations program manager at Facebook since 2017 and claims he has not been fairly evaluated or promoted despite his “excellent performance” at the company. Two others joined Veneszee’s complaint, saying they were unlawfully denied jobs at the company despite being qualified.

Facebook said in a statement it takes discrimination allegations seriously and investigates every case.

“We believe it is essential to provide all employees with a respectful and safe working environment,” said spokeswoman Pamela Austin.



FILE - In this March 29, 2018, file photo, the logo for social media giant Facebook, appears on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York's Times Square. A Black Facebook employee, joined by two others who were denied jobs at the social network, has filed a complaint against the company, saying it discriminates against Black workers and applicants in hiring, evaluations, promotions and pay. Facebook did not immediately respond to a message for comment Thursday, July 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/41e26d339d6af06b14a5e9946c859362

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Black worker files discrimination complaint against Facebook (Original Post) Omaha Steve Jul 2020 OP
No surprise. Blacks in STEM ... live love laugh Jul 2020 #1
Somehow I'd never put the words "Facebook" and "respectful" together... abqtommy Jul 2020 #2
Good luck with that in the trump era. Trump toady Janet Dhillon was appointed its head for a reason. PSPS Jul 2020 #3

live love laugh

(13,009 posts)
1. No surprise. Blacks in STEM ...
Thu Jul 2, 2020, 07:26 PM
Jul 2020

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/the-science-divide-why-do-latino-and-black-students-leave-stem-majors-at-higher-rates/2019/05/03/e386d318-4b32-11e9-93d0-64dbcf38ba41_story.html



Lab classes have always left Shason Briscoe wracked with anxiety. The 21-year-old senior at the University of California at Davis wasn’t concerned about the academic rigor or long hours spent in the classroom — it was the uneasiness he felt when his peers and instructors watched him. Briscoe, who is African American, studies computer engineering at UC Davis, where black students constitute fewer than 3 percent of students in the program. Often, he is the only black student in his classes.
“It’s like there’s a magnifying glass on you,” he said. “If you don’t know the answer to something, you’re watched, like you have something to prove, and you can’t shine on your own merits as much.”

-snip-

Black and Latino college students transfer or drop out of STEM programs — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — at higher rates than their white peers.. The researchers found that students entered the programs at relatively equal numbers: About 19 percent of the white students declared as STEM majors, compared with 20 percent of Latino students and 18 percent of black students.... black and Latino students changed majors at higher rates than their white peers. About 37 percent of Latino and 40 percent of black STEM students switched majors as undergraduates, compared with 29 percent of white STEM students. Dropout rates varied among the groups, too. About 20 percent of Latino and 26 percent of black STEM majors left their institutions without earning a degree, while 13 percent of white STEM majors dropped out, according to the study. This trend wasn’t evident in other competitive fields, the report found. Among business majors, similar rates of black, Latino and white students switched majors ... researchers discovered a strong interest among black and Latino high school students in pursuing a STEM degree. “If there’s demonstrated, strong interest in STEM among black and Latino youth, why would you see higher departure rates for these students?” the professor said. “It’s not about interest or academic ability. So what causes this?” ...Discrimination and bias in science and technology often hinder minority students’ academic success, Riegle-Crumb said.

-snip-

Deana Crouser, a 28-year-old senior at the University of Washington ... said feelings of exclusion and microaggressions — defined as indirect, subtle and unintentional forms of discrimination — made it hard to concentrate... When she enrolled in the engineering program, administrators emphasized that she would need friends and mentors to perform well. But it was hard to find a community when Latinos account for fewer than 10 percent of students in the program, she said.
“I spent too much time in my head feeling like I didn’t belong, or wasn’t smart enough, that I couldn’t concentrate on my work,” Crouser said.

-snip-

Morgan Smith
Morgan Smith is an education reporter for The Washington Post. She has previously contributed to the Bergen Record and the Chicago Tribune. Follow
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