Fighting the 400-Year Pandemic: Racism Against Black People in Organizations

Abstract

Anti-Black racism is a pernicious problem that has plagued the USA throughout history. In 2020, we saw intense moments that highlighted the stark anti-Black racism and racial inequity in America. Namely, the murder of George Floyd coupled with the disproportionate levels of negative outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic affecting Black people in the USA. These instances called attention to the considerable racial inequality in US society and reminded many people that racism seeps throughout all facets of life. Our first goal with this special issue was to call attention to research within in the organizational sciences that focuses on anti-Black racism. The articles in this issue call attention to some of the manifestations and consequences of anti-Black racism as well as ways to reduce its insidious effects. Our second goal was to intentionally highlight the work of Black scholars in the field of I-O psychology. As such, we engaged in targeted recruiting that allowed us to successfully curate articles from a racially diverse group of scholars, and we are able to highlight the work of Black scholars and practitioners in the field.

The Psychosocial Health of Black/African Americans Compared with People of Other Races/Ethnic Origins during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The general health questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) is widely used as a self-report measure of mental health and has been used in multiple studies and shown to be reliable when considering health outcomes in various settings [20][21][22]. Six items of the GHQ-12 are phrased positively (e.g., "able to enjoy day-to-day activities") and six negatively (e.g., "felt constantly under strain").…”

Reimagining Academia: Lessons from Black M(other)Scholars during our duel with the dual pandemics

“…From the workplace to science, antiblackness permeates all aspects of life Carter Andrews & Mills, 2022;Hartman, 2007;Ruggs et al, 2022). Black thinkers and scholars have long underscored the ways antiblackness has shaped Black life.…”

“…The psychic violence experienced through the collective mourning of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless other Black people was something many of us had not experienced to this extent. Thus, we situate the pandemic of heightened, premature Black death in the context of the 400-year ongoing pandemic of antiblackness (Ruggs et al, 2022).…”

Guest editorial: Prejudice at work: what we understand and what we still need to learn

“…Though the summer of 2020 brought renewed discussions of racism to public media and scholarly discussions, the negative consequences of prejudice were not new and continue to this day. Such prejudicial effects, for example, appear to influence even one's working environment (Ruggs et al ., 2023). In fact, even if the intersection of prejudice and work does not always lead to physical violence, the discrimination and stereotyping that stem from it can have lasting impact on people (i.e.…”