When I graduated High School, I could not afford college. Instead I joined the Navy. But there where government programs for Blacks to get funding. In the Navy, they had race norming. Blacks got extra points on advancement for being Black. Whites had to score higher on tests, and get higher annual evals, to get the same advancement as the Blacks. I volunteered to take on a special task , to help the ship win the Engineer E. I worked 12 to 16 hours a day, for 7 weeks. I was told thanks to me, we won the E that year. I had a helper a couple of days, he got a Navy Achievement medal. I asked why him and not me. I was told flat out, that the Captain wanted a Black man to get the Medal. So he got credit for my work. After the Navy, I was working in a Chemical Plant in Chicago. The maintenance dept, needed another mechanic. I saw two stacks of resumes on the foremans desk. One large and one only a couple. I glance through them, the small pile had Black written on the top of the resumes. I asked about it. The Foreman threw the big pile in the trash. The Black man they hired, had never worked as a mechanic, so the rest of us had to carry his load. When working in a steel treatment factory in Chicago, the Shipping department was looking for a person. They wanted someone with a CDL, fork truck experience and computer skills. I had a friend that fit the bill. I took his resume to the foreman. My friend never got a call. They hired a Black man that did not have any of the qualifications. When I asked about it, I was told to shut up. NOW TELL ME ABOUT White Privelege.
