Black folks, Credit Checks & Jobs: States considering banning credit checks on job applicants

Lemme get right on in and say that this is something I fully support. And no, I'm not saying this because I myself posses less than impeccable credit. I've always been of the opinion that it was some unnecessary tool used against people seeking employment. I mean, the only thing that should matter is a criminal background check; because, well, nobody likes the idea of sitting next to a serial rapist or child molester at work for eight hours a day. To me, that's more pertinent information to be considered when screening job applicants. Whether they are currently forced to put their utilities in the name of their kids or how many bankruptcies they've filed are of no consequence. I have some more to say on this but checkout this press release and tell me what you think:

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – It's hard enough to find a job in this economy, and now some people are facing another hurdle: Potential employers are holding their credit histories against them.

Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management said they run credit checks on at least some job applicants, compared with 42 percent in a somewhat similar survey in 2006.

Employers say such checks give them valuable information about an applicant's honesty and sense of responsibility. But lawmakers in at least 16 states from South Carolina to Oregon have proposed outlawing most credit checks, saying the practice traps people in debt because their past financial problems prevent them from finding work.

Wisconsin state Rep. Kim Hixson drafted a bill in his state shortly after hearing from Terry Becker, an auto mechanic who struggled to find work.

Becker said it all started with medical bills that piled up when his now 10-year-old son began having seizures as a toddler. In the first year alone, Becker ran up $25,000 in medical debt.

Over 4 1/2 months, he was turned down for at least eight positions for which he had authorized the employer to conduct a credit check, Becker said. He said one potential employer told him, "If your credit is bad, then you'll steal from me."

"I was in a deep depression. I had lost a business, I was behind on my bills and I was unable to get a job," he said.

Hixson calls what happened to Becker discrimination based on credit history and said his bill would ban it.

"If somebody is trying to get a job as a truck driver or a trainer in a gym, what does your credit history have to do with your ability to do that job?" Hixson said. He said he knows of no research that shows a person with a bad credit history is going to perform poorly.

Under federal law, prospective employers must get written permission from applicants to run a credit check on them. But consumer advocates say most job applicants do not feel they are in a position to say no.

Most of the bills being proposed this year resemble laws in Hawaii and Washington that prevent employers from using credit reports when hiring for most positions. The laws contain exceptions in cases where such information could be relevant to the job — for example, if the person is applying to work in a bank or an accounts-payable office. (Read More: Yahoo News)

The article goes on to show how opponents of this measure suggest that there is a direct correlation between people with bad credit and workplace fraud. Which is bullshit because there really isn't any empirical evidence to support this claim; and the practice is as egregiously discriminatory as is the assumption that black people, generally posses poor credit scores. I can tell you as someone with a background in marketing and sales, that on more than one occasion, at different companies, I was reminded to "stay away" from black consumers because of said assumption.

That said, I can't help but to think of just how this is used as a tool to further discriminate against people of color on the sly when it comes to employment- people who are already behind the eight ball as the income gap continues to widen. But I guess it's important to be sure to hire people who are less apt to steal food from the office refrigerator.

Even though more companies are using credit checks, only 13 percent perform them on all potential hires, according to the Society for Human Resources Management's most recent survey. Mike Aitken, the group's director of government affairs, said a blanket ban could remove a tool employers can use to help them make good hiring decisions.

Aitken pointed to a 2008 survey by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners that found the two most common red flags for employees who commit workplace fraud are living beyond their means and having difficulty meeting financial obligations. The same survey estimated American companies lost $994 billion to workplace fraud in 2008.

Aitken said someone who cannot pay his or her bills on time may not be more likely to steal, but might not have the maturity or sense of responsibility to handle a job like processing payroll checks.

With Blacks and Latinos disproportionately affected by the economic fallout - especially the ones targeted by sheisty predatory lenders - it's sad that along with worrying about their applications being pushed to the bottom of the pile just on the strength of having an "ethnic sounding" name. They now have to contend with having to navigate the job market at a disadvantage because of their credit score. The gentleman highlighted in the story above - Terry Becker - is white man and even he had a hard time finding employment. That said, I don't have to tell you just how this practice moving forward as the economy recovers would affect people of color.

Where are the Black male teachers?

"Now, I say if you wanna kill yourself, don't fuck around with it. Go on and do it expeditiously!" - Joe Clark (Lean On Me)

We bitch about our current youth, and all but proclaim them to be the spawn of the devil when they're not our own - yes, there's a Black Jesus and a White Jesus, so quite naturally there's a Black devil and a White devil, no? Yeah I know; that's an entirely different topic, but I couldn't help but to go there. But anyway, while we are cynical in our criticisms, we're often quick to justify or attribute the behaviors of said children by the absence of male figures within the home or family structure.

Now considering that our kids spend a more significant portion of their time outside of our homes and in the charge of the public school system. Why is it that some genius among us has yet to question the number of male teachers within our public school system? Specifically, how the absence of black male teachers impact our youth negatively.

I'm not an expert, nor am I a teacher. But I can't help but to think that there is a direct correlation between the near absence of black male teachers and the difficulties that many African American boys face in school. About half of black male students do not complete high school in four years, statistics show. Black males also tend to score lower on standardized tests, take fewer Advanced Placement courses and are suspended and expelled at higher rates than other groups. The thought occurred to me after I watched the following video over at We Are Respectable Negroes:

Teach Them Well and Let Them Lead the Way - Use What you Got, to Get What you Want

So it's no secret that RiPPa loves the kids. Yes, I'm currently the father of three beautiful young ladies with another one due in January. I'm not gonna sit here and suggest that I'm the best parent in the world because I'm sure that there are a lot of things I could have done differently over the years. But hey, with a new baby on the way, please believe that I plan to do better with this one than I've done with each successive child in my care over the years. Times have changed, and adapt I must. That's why I'm going to teach this to my now 2yr old, and my newborn next year:


Yep, when I first saw the above video on Facebook over the weekend (one of my contacts is connected to the mother of this child), I was jealous of the lady who uploaded it. She was so proud that her baby won $20.00 earlier that day in a dance contest that she decided to have an after party/celebration at her house in her kitchen. Yes, like all proud parents, she wanted the world to see just what her baby could do. Nothing makes a parent more proud than the accomplishments of their kids, and I was jealous that it wasn’t one of mine.

“Shake that ass, do the Stanky Leg, and you'll never starve baby girl,” is going to be the message I teach my two youngest girls. Oh trust me; they're not going to be eventual failures like their two older sisters. Like I said, I failed with them; I can only wonder what they'll be able to do to be self sufficient when they get out of high school in the next two years. Had I done my job as a parent, at 16 and 15yrs old as they are today, they would be able to do this:


Boy do I wish my two oldest kids had such confidence in themselves.

When you’re able to dance and motivate erections by random men…

The world is definitely your oyster, no?

Obviously the parents of these children, unlike me, realized just how important confidence and making the booty pop is to ones survival. How can one expect their children to leave the nest and go out into the world without the necessary confidence to do something strange for a little piece of change? Sure you may deem such artistic expression inappropriate for girls at that age; but hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? Yep, women bitch a lot about different issues – they even form womanist groups and stuff. But I’m willing to bet that life would be different for them had they all started out dancing on a kitchen table and learned how to Twerk it instead of blaming men for their troubles.


P.S. If you fail to see the sarcasm in this post you should drink a warm cup of bleach.

WHAT AMERICAN WORKERS WANT

Sure there's been alotta hype surrounding the recent financial meltdown. But like both candidates, I believe in the will of the American people. Americans are hard workers, and have led the world through their efforts to make this country the beacon of capitalism that it is today. With that being said, I think its important that our politicians listen to the voices of the American worker.

This is what we truly want....