PROBLEM
Discrimination is distinct from racial prejudice (attitudes), racial stereotypes (beliefs), and racism (ideologies) that may also be associated with racial disadvantages (Quillian 2006). As the diversity of the American workforce increase, organizational researchers have been increasingly interested in issues of discrimination and prejudice on the job. (e.g. Dovidio and Gaertner, 2000; Frazer and Wiersma, 2001; Trentham and Larwood, 1998).
The workplace increasingly is more diverse than ever before. For decades African Americans, women, and many minorities were excluded from participating in most of the desirable jobs and institutions. Even when declared unconstitutional, the discrimination against minority groups often persisted (Beauchamp & Bowie, 1993). Although some work organizations are making progress in their efforts to combat discrimination, African Americans particularly still face a series of unique problems imposed on them through the complex interactions of racially motivated negative attitudes and actions of individual and organizational policies and practices not encountered by Caucasians (Chima, 1999; Stromen & Seltzer, 1991). Some of the major problems African Americans face include: employment process biases, channeling into "minority" positions, lack of access to network and mentors, promotion and advancement difficulties, and emotional and psychological maltreatment (Queralt, 1996).
Attributes characteristics such as “lazy” and “unreliable” to this group, the employees include in their study were candid in their expression of strong racial preference in considering low wage workers (Wilson 1996, Moss and Tilly 2001). These in depth studies have been invaluable in providing detailed accounts of what goes through the minds of employees-at least consciously- as the evaluate members of the different group(Devah Pager and Hana