Diversity or Encouraged Racism?

I work in the recruitment business, and OFCCP compliance (encouraged affirmative action in hiring/recruiting) seems to be a "hot" term that is losing a bit of it's steam, however people and recruiters are still posting their job requisitions to "diversity boards" with enthusiasm (in fact, if you hold a contract with the Federal Government you HAVE to post your jobs to "diversity job boards") such as 'National Society for Black Engineers,'Society of Women Engineers,' 'Black Women Lawyers Association,' 'LatinosForHire,' 'Asian American Bar Association of New York,' 'Minority Nurse.com,' 'Disabled Persons,''Black Actuaries' (these are just a few, the list goes on and on and on)- but these job boards are exclusive by name alone let alone their posting policies. Shouldn't our target audience for jobs be qualified candidates who are out of work or in need of a new opportunity? Why does race matter? Why are minorities targeted? Isn't the point of overcoming racism to not see someone as a member of a specific race or minority group but as a PERSON?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." Our country was founded on this idea, it's in our Declaration of Independence, and just as we did before the Civil Rights Movement we're ignoring that "self-evident" truth. When recruiters and HR professionals are looking for people to hire in their workplace they are using the idea that they need to fill a "race quota" to ensure that they are, in fact, an equal opportunity employer, when the idea of equality for all would be better upheld by looking at all the candidates equally and making a decision based upon work experience or education rather than taking race as a top priority above these necessary skills. When looking at resumes, or searching for candidates, shouldn't we be looking for QUALIFIED candidates rather than MINORITY candidates? Am I the only one who sees the failure of logic in this Affirmative Action/OFCCP Compliance concept?

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, "that [his] four little children [would] one day live in a nation where they [would] not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." And unfortunately, all these years later, they are still living in a nation where they are being judged by the color of their skin rather than the content of the resume. Whether or not they can skew this information in their favor is not the material point, because they can, people can use the fact that they are a minority to be hired over a possibly more qualified "non-minority" candidate. The point is that the color of their skin is still a hot topic, a must know, and point of JUDGEMENT that determines whether or not you will even be considered for a position.

Is anyone else seeing signs reading, "Irish need not apply" or hear ignorant mouths saying, "we don't serve your kind here?"

Even the idea of a "minority" group is pure ludicrous. EVERYONE is a member of a minority group. Any time you are taking one specific thing into account against a whole group of things, you are going to get a minority. One piece of an apple is not the entire apple, my race is only a small part of who and what I am, it has NOTHING to do with what I am capable of, and when one piece of data is pitted against the rest of the qualifying data, of course the outcome of the test is going to be a minority, because in the vast scheme of things, that is only a part of the bigger picture.

In order to become truly inclusive and accepting we must stop putting people into categories of race, or minorities. By looking at everyone equally you will automatically come upon a diverse workplace because you are openly accepting all applicants. The moment you begin taking other matters into account you are skewing your own results. Denying someone a job, the right to work, or to even consider their application based upon race IS RACISM! To specifically target a certain minority is EXCLUSIVE and RACIST. If I put my resume on 'Black Actuaries.com' it would be taken down for no other reason than my not being the "right" race for that site- THAT IS RACISM!

These compliance laws are encouraging racism in our workplace, they are keeping the idea that "race matters" alive. How are we supposed to look past the cover and read the book when no one stops talking about the importance of the cover and no one seems to think reading the book is as important as the color chosen to bind it?

If that wasn't enough to convince you, see the ad below that was advertised on a "diversity" site: