The Washington Post has published two more pieces in their "Black Man" series.
On Friday, the Post published "A Chance To Get Into the Room".
On Sunday, the Post published "The Meaning of Work".
A quote of note from Friday's piece:
Ford is not aware of ever having lost a contract because of his race, but he is mindful of America's history of racial prejudice. If minority companies did not face discrimination, he said, there would not be federally funded set-aside programs. Enlightened participates in such a program administered by the Small Business Administration. The 8(a) program offers business-development assistance and the opportunity to compete for federal contracts that have been reserved for small firms owned by "socially and economically disadvantaged" people, those whose net worth is less than $250,000. Enlightened, which has been in the program since 2001, is certified to participate for four more years.
...
"If I get in the room," he says, "I'll show you what I can do. And I'm going to do whatever I can do to get in that room."
And from Sunday's piece:
Why does Chris Dansby not have a job?
What happened? What can he do about it? What did he do wrong?
...
A week later, at a Virginia Jiffy Lube that was a 43-minute subway ride from Ward 8, Chris began his new job. Eight dollars an hour, 40 hours a week, $16,640 a year. "Looks like it's gonna work out," he said.
That night, his girlfriend told him their relationship was over.
The next day, he moved in with his mother.
Two days later: "I don't know what happened. I haven't heard from him," said Wally Kenner, his boss at Jiffy Lube. "If he doesn't call me or show up tomorrow, we'll probably have to let him go.' "
The next day: "He no longer works here," Kenner said.
The next day: "I don't know, man. Stuff happens," Chris said, sitting in his mother's home, head down, lights off, voice barely audible, trying to explain.
"If I had the answer, I'd tell you, but I don't know," he said. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know."
Read both pieces.
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