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Whitening Resume Worksheet

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December 16, 2020

Theme: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

Question 1: To what extent can institutionalized racism shape individual identity?

Answer:

Institutionalized racism shapes identity in that it forces the victims of racism to operate within the parameters set for them

by the institution. Racism exists far more predominantly in our social structures than it does in actual individuals with

bigoted or racist beliefs. Institutional racism forces individuals to hide or cover up their real identity in favor of

conforming to the racist requirements imposed on them by the many different institutions that they intersect on a day-to-

day basis.

Do NOW: Write down a list of the various personal identifiers that you use to identify yourself. This can include your

cultural traditions, race, gender, sexual orientation, and/or religious beliefs.

Do Now Discussion:

● Rank each of your identifiers by order of importance in your own life.

● Would you be willing to hide or veil any of these elements if you thought that by doing so you would have a

better chance of being accepted to a college or landing a job? Why or why not?

Notes:

● Institutionalized Racism: involves polices, practices, and procedures of institutions that have a

disproportionately negative effect on racial minorities’ access to and quality of goods, services, and opportunities.

● Prejudice: is an attitude that is based on limited information or stereotypes. While prejudice is usually negative, it

can also be positive.

Transition: Why do some people conceal their identities to try to assimilate or circumvent prejudice? What are the effects

of these decisions on the individuals and on society? We want to try to be able to answer these questions or at least have

an educated speculation as to how to answer these questions at the end of the day.

Activity #1: What are some of the causes and consequences of "whitening" the resume?

Directions:

1. Annotate the article as you read by making connections to the three major perspectives in the margins.

2. Consider how this article is informing your understanding of the sociology and psychology underpinning race

relations.

Questions:

1. How and why have some people attempted to “whiten” their résumés, according to the article?

Some individuals attempt to “whiten” their resume by removing their previous association with traditionally black

employers or schools. Other might whiten their resume by altering information about where they came from if they feel it

might out them as being non-white. People still feel the need to do this because their remains conscious and unconscious

bias in hiring practices.

2. What do studies show about affirmative action, diversity programs and racial disparities in hiring?

Studies show that there is an incorrect perception in popular opinion that affirmative action has tipped the scales too far in

the favor of non-white job applicants. The actual data shows that there is still a deep seated prejudice against non-white

job candidates across all kinds of employers.

3. Why does Ms. Orr report that she “wrestled with what kind of message” this gave to her children? Is there a way

to explain the apparently inconsistent messages that her mother gave her about black pride?

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Ms. Orr was conscious of the inconsistent messages she was giving her children. On the one hand, she wanted to instill in

them pride for being black. But on the other, she knew that she had to do what was necessary to secure a job that would

enable her to adequately provide for them. I think she is justified in “whitening” her resume in this way, simply because

she is doing the best she can within the confines of the prejudiced society she exists in.

4. What conclusions have professors Kenji Yoshino and John L. Jackson Jr. drawn about the effects of “covering”?

Both professors concluded that “whitening” does not just apply to resumes. Whitening one’s resume is just one piece of

the larger phenomenon of individuals “covering” their true racial identity in a variety of different contexts. The fact that

people still feel the need to cover themselves in this way is indicative of the deep prejudice at the heart of American race

relations.

Summary Question: How does institutionalized racism influence economic opportunities?

Answer:

Institutionalized racism forces people to limit themselves and hide their qualifications when seeking a new job.

Employment is the basis of all economic opportunity and employment is essentially dependent on previous qualifications.

If one has to hide their previous qualifications for fear of outing themselves as being a black person, then that person is

ultimately decreasing the likelihood of their being selected for that job. This is just one very specific example of how

institutionalized racism materially affects economic opprotunity.

‘Whitening’ the Résumé

By Michael Luo

Published: December 5, 2009

Source: The New York Times

Tahani Tompkins was struggling to get callbacks for job interviews in the Chicago area this year when a friend made

a suggestion: Change your name. Instead of Tahani, a distinctively African-American-sounding name, she began

going by T. S. Tompkins in applications.

Yvonne Orr, also searching for work in Chicago, removed her bachelor’s degree from Hampton University, a

historically black college, leaving just her master’s degree from Spertus Institute, a Jewish school. She also deleted a

position she once held at an African-American nonprofit organization and rearranged her references so the first

people listed were not black.

The dueling forces of assimilation and diversity have long battled for primacy in the American experience, most

acutely among African-Americans. It’s not clear that assimilation has gained an edge here in the waning days of the

decade, but the women’s behavior — “whitening” the résumé — is certainly not isolated. Ms. Tompkins and Ms. Orr

were among the more than two dozen college-educated blacks interviewed for an article about racial disparities in

hiring published last week on the front page of The New York Times. A half-dozen said they had taken steps to hide

their race, or at least dial back the level of “blackness” signaled in their résumés.

That seemed startling somehow, maybe because of the popular perception that affirmative action still confers

significant advantages to black job candidates, a perception that is not borne out in studies. Moreover, statistics show

even college-educated blacks suffering disproportionately in this jobless environment compared with whites, as that

article reported.

But if playing down blackness is a common strategy born of necessity, perceived or real, it still takes a psychic toll,

maybe a greater one now, as people calibrate identity more carefully.

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December 16, 2020 Theme: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions Question 1: To what extent can institutionalized racism shape individual identity? Answer: Institutionalized racism shapes identity in that it forces the victims of racism to operate within the parameters set for them by the institution. Racism exists far more predominantly in our social structures than it does in actual individuals with bigoted or racist beliefs. Institutional racism forces individuals to hide or cover up their real identity in favor of conforming to the racist requirements imposed on them by the many different institutions that they intersect on a day-today basis. Do NOW: Write down a list of the various personal identifiers that you use to identify yourself. This can include your cultural traditions, race, gender, sexual orientation, and/or religious beliefs. Do Now Discussion: ● Rank each of your identifiers by order of importance in your own life. ● Would you be willing to hide or veil any of these elements if you thought that by doing so you would have a better chance of being accepted to a college or landing a job? Why or why not? Notes: ● Institutionalized Racism: involves polices, practi ...
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Tags: Institutionalized racism sexual orientation order of importance personal identifiers Individual Identity