60+ years since the Civil Rights Act, and decades into the mainstreaming of DEI programming, racial disparities in the workplace still persist. Black workers experience extensive wage inequality, remain less likely to be hired, stall out at midlevel positions, and rarely advance to the top ranks of organizations. Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield's book, Gray Areas, explains this seeming paradox by introducing the concept of “gray areas” to highlight the sociological dynamics of work that continue to impede Black employees’ progress. Following the narratives of seven Black workers in fields ranging from academia to medicine to entertainment, her book shows unexpected ways that basic aspects of work are themselves major contributors to racial inequality. Join us for this Black History Month Open Classroom program to hear Dr. Harvey Wingfield discuss key concepts and stories from her book.

Presenter:
Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield
Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences,
Co-Director of the Office of Public Scholarship, and Assistant Vice Provost Washington University in St. Louis

60+ years since the Civil Rights Act, and decades into the mainstreaming of DEI programming, racial disparities in the workplace still persist. Black workers experience extensive wage inequality, remain less likely to be hired, stall out at midlevel positions, and rarely advance to the top ranks of organizations. Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield's book, Gray Areas, explains this seeming paradox by introducing the concept of “gray areas” to highlight the sociological dynamics of work that continue to impede Black employees’ progress. Following the narratives of seven Black workers in fields ranging from academia to medicine to entertainment, her book shows unexpected ways that basic aspects of work are themselves major contributors to racial inequality. Join us for this Black History Month Open Classroom program to hear Dr. Harvey Wingfield discuss key concepts and stories from her book.

Presenter:
Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield
Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences,
Co-Director of the Office of Public Scholarship, and Assistant Vice Provost Washington University in St. Louis