Multicultural Spotlight: Black workers in the US private sector

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The economic landscape of Indianapolis is, no doubt, vibrant and bustling, from the nonprofit sector to the commercial and private sectors.

News 8 has been exploring Black representation in the workforce and leadership roles. That pertains, specifically, to the participation of Black workers in the U.S. private sector.

According to a report by McKinsey and Co., a strategy and management consulting firm, an analysis on economic data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau from 2019 found that, on the current trajectory, it would take 95 years for Black employees to reach talent parity in the private sector.

“It tells us that (African-Americans) started from a different position,” News 8 contributor Emil Ekiyor said. (African-Americans) didn’t start from the same starting point” as whites.

Ekiyor said when we look at the journey from the Civil Rights Era that “we forget it really hasn’t been that long.”

On accepting different cultures and perspectives in the workplace, Ekiyor said employers must “respect” that people bring different experiences to the table.