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April 7, 2005

New opportunities

The Banner will introduce a new feature in the issue of April 7. For the first time BostonWorks, a division of The Boston Globe, and the Banner have collaborated to publish an employment supplement to offer more job opportunities to Banner readers.

Diversity Works does more than simply list new job announcements, it also publishes a number of articles to inform the reader about what is happening today in the area of human resources. The more the reader knows about the employment climate the better his or her chances to land the desired job.

For decades the Banner has made it a priority to publish employment opportunities for racial minorities. Before corporate America was aware of the advantages of racial diversity it was difficult for African Americans and Latinos to find meaningful employment. Even now that diversity is more fashionable it is still difficult for minorities to move up the corporate ladder.

The Banner and BostonWorks plan to continue their collaboration and develop other supplements in the future to bring more employment opportunities to Banner readers.

Learn and you will earn

A Census Bureau report issued last week published some startling news. In 2003, black and Asian women with bachelor’s degrees earned more than white women with the same level of education.

Asian women on average earned the most, $43,700 per year. College educated black women were close behind at $41,100. White women with a bachelor’s degree earned $37,800, just $200 more than a similarly educated Hispanic woman.

Those who prefer to put a negative spin on everything will probably attempt to marginalize the statistic by pointing out that white males with a college diploma earn much more, in excess of $66,000 a year. But that would miss the point.

For decades black elders have insisted that a solid education paves the way to equality. There were times when this philosophy was hard to sell because of racial discrimination in employment. Well-educated blacks were forced to work as Pullman porters, hospital orderlies or domestic servants.

Times have changed. Opportunities abound for those who have prepared themselves to take advantage of them. Of course racial discrimination still exists but it is a mere phantom when compared with the robust racial oppression of the early 20th century.

The data indicate a substantial gap in the earning power of college educated minority men and white male college graduates. Asians with bachelor’s degrees earn the most among minorities, $52,000 a year, followed by $49,000 for college trained Latinos. Blacks earn the least, $45,000 per year, but that is almost $4,000 more than similarly educated black women. All fall short of the $66,000 average for white men.

Clearly there is a gender problem, in addition to the vestiges of racial discrimination. Nonetheless, the evidence is substantial that the black elders were correct. Education is the passport to financial success. A college graduate will earn an average of more than $51,000 per year, compared with only $28,000 for someone with only a high school diploma.

Parents, preachers, social workers and community leaders must encourage youngsters to take education seriously and do well in school. No one should be discouraged by the high cost of college education. The Ivy League schools and other well-endowed universities provide scholarships to good students. So study hard now. It’s money in the bank.

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