Mayor Eric Adamsrecent requests Pictures of potential senior-level city adopters are rightfully alarming.
"There were no questions," said the questioning former city official. "The first thing everyone said was, 'I'm going to start counting the colors of my skin now.'"
The mayor's excuse was to make it easier to recognize employees. It just means that you want it. In HR decisions, we tell everyone about hiring more minorities.
This is when approximately 71% of new hires in 2020 are people of color, and city agencies already have a lot of diversity. According to City own data, on average across all agencies, staff are 31% Black, 17% Hispanic, 11.5% Asian, and about 20% Black and 28% are Hispanic and 16% are Asian.
The city may not have violated anti-discrimination laws (yet). But there is little need to make hiring more complex and complex. The pandemic left 8% of job openings completely vacant as of April. What about hiring people based on their ability to do so? Asking for photos is a reminder of the country-club racism and anti-Semitism that has plagued America's elite institutions for decades. (And when it comes to Asians, it still haunts our top colleges).
You said moving the photos was a sign of respect. It would be better to show true respect to the masses and hire the best talent regardless of appearance.
