Sociologist explains how the workplace can uphold racist practices

David Brancaccio and Erika Soderstrom Oct 17, 2023
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Professor Adia Harvey Wingfield discusses how the gray areas of work can harm people of color. Courtesy Harvey Wingfield

Sociologist explains how the workplace can uphold racist practices

David Brancaccio and Erika Soderstrom Oct 17, 2023
Heard on:
Professor Adia Harvey Wingfield discusses how the gray areas of work can harm people of color. Courtesy Harvey Wingfield
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Recruiting. Hiring. Advancement. These are some of the areas of work that can perpetuate racism. But despite a heightened focus on workplace racial inequality, real change still feels elusive.

To be sure, companies have taken steps to address racial equality, but those efforts may be flawed. Take diversity training, for example. Despite billions being poured into the industry, it turns out that diversity training can actually result in negative consequences in the workplace.

So what steps can organizations, managers and colleagues take to help create more racially inclusive workplaces? Adia Harvey Wingfield, a professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, has some insight. She explores the topic in her new book, “Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism and What We Can Do to Fix It.” She spoke with Marketplace’s David Brancaccio about what it takes to create more inclusive environments for employees.

Click the audio player above to hear their conversation.

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