Earlier this month, I published a blog titled: “Should Race Matter in Hiring? Yes—Because Justice Demands It.”
The purpose of that article was to challenge the assumption that treating everyone the same now is sufficient when history has treated people—specifically African Americans—so radically unequal for so long. It was about applying the principle of restorative justice to hiring and beyond. And yet, some readers misunderstood the intent.
I take full responsibility for that. As a communicator, it is my job to be clear. So let me try again—this time with context, clarity, and conviction.
The Question Is Not Innocent—It’s Strategic
“Should race matter in hiring?”
This question sounds morally clean. It appeals to our belief in fairness. The instinctive answer feels like: “Of course not. We should never discriminate.”
But that framing is deceptive. It is a trap of false neutrality, a classic debate tactic that oversimplifies the question and renders centuries of systemic racial injustice invisible.
Here is the truth:
- No, race should not be used to harm, exclude, or favor unjustly.
- Yes, race must be acknowledged when it has been the basis of harm—if we are to practice real justice.
You cannot ignore the means by which people were oppressed and still claim to be serious about healing the wounds.
Context Matters: Justice Is Always Specific
America understands restorative justice. It practices it regularly.
Here is proof:
- Japanese Americans were paid $20,000 per person for WWII internment.
- Native American tribes have received land settlements and federal trust reparations.
- Holocaust survivors received compensation supported by U.S. policy.
- 9/11 victims and their families were paid through a federal compensation fund.
- Wrongfully convicted citizens are compensated for each year they spent behind bars.
- Shareholders and consumers defrauded by companies like Enron, Wells Fargo, and Madoff were repaid.
In every case, America acknowledged harm, identified the harmed group, and provided targeted restitution.
So again, why not African Americans?
Proof of Intent—and Betrayal
- 1865: 40 Acres and a Mule — General Sherman’s Field Order No. 15 promised land to freed Black families. It was rescinded by President Andrew Johnson. The promise was made, then broken.
- 1934–1968: FHA and Redlining — Under the National Housing Act, the Federal Housing Administration guaranteed over $120 billion in loans. Less than 2% went to African Americans. [Source: Rothstein, R. (2017). The Color of Law.]
- 1944: GI Bill and VA Loans — Black veterans returning from WWII were denied housing loans and access to suburban developments. In the South, they were systematically excluded from job programs and public universities.
- Education — Throughout the 20th century, Black schools were separate and underfunded, by design. Denial of quality education was not an accident. It was a policy.
- Recent History: Special Purpose Credit Programs — HUD created tools to allow race-conscious lending solutions. The Trump Administration issued an executive order to block these programs, citing “reverse discrimination.”
At every stage—when justice was possible—America knew what was right and chose otherwise.
My Faith Is in God. My Faith in the System? Nonexistent.
I have no confusion about where my spiritual hope lies. I am a Christian. And I will not apologize for believing in the biblical mandate to restore, to repair, and to protect the oppressed.
But while my faith in God is strong, my faith in America to do what is right is, frankly, nonexistent.
Because the government was never about fairness. We didn’t need it to give us rights—we needed it for protection: from lynching, cross burning, exclusion, and hate.
Not from hidden discrimination. From open, public, notorious discrimination.
So Let Me Ask: Am I Unreasonable?
If race was used to oppress, why shouldn’t race be part of the solution?
What other method of redress is available? What solution do you propose that does not name the victims or the cause?
At the end of the day, yes—the taxpayer will pay. And yes, Black taxpayers will help fund their own restitution.
How’s that for patriotism?
Final Word: Equality Without Repair Is Not Justice
African Americans were enslaved, denied property, excluded from wealth-building programs, locked out of education, and targeted by laws. We were made citizens in 1865—but never fully treated as such.
So yes—race must matter in hiring, in lending, in housing, and in law if we ever hope to repair what race-based policies intentionally destroyed.
If we can compensate everyone else but refuse to compensate African Americans, then let’s stop pretending we’re confused.
Let’s tell the truth: This is deliberate.
Eric Lawrence Frazier, MBA
Your trusted advisor in business and wealth
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