This is a tale that many people do not want you to read. This is a tale that I wish I did not have to tell.
I have been unemployed for the last four years. In the last three months alone, I have sent resumes to over 100 companies, and have had five agencies working on my behalf … I have not been asked to a single interview.
Something is Seriously Wrong with America … I have a college degree (in Systems Software Science) and am a Life Member of Mensa (the international high-IQ society), yet no one will even grant me an interview for a job.
Last week, I saw a "help wanted" sign on the door of a stationary/bookstore … when I inquired within, they could not find any applications. I left a card with my telephone number … no one called me.
I EVEN FILLED OUT AN APPLICATION AT MCDONALD'S, AND NO ONE CALLED ME FOR AN INTERVIEW!!
My failure to secure an interview for employment is a direct result of one or more of the following facts:
In other words, I am the victim of discrimination … either racial, religious, or age … because I am better qualified for most jobs than the people who would be interviewing me. It has taken me a long time to get angry about this, and now that the anger has risen to the surface, I can no longer contain it.
Yes … America has failed to honor its promises to this Native Son, and the specter of prejudice is still very much in evidence in the workplace. The reason I cannot find a job in a field in which I once had in international reputation is not because I am unqualified … it is because people are afraid of me. The fear me because I am not the same skin color, because I do not worship God the same way they do, or because I am just "too old".
It does not take a genius to figure this out … my resume is posted on the World Wide Web, complete with photographs of myself with famous people, and my father with Presidents of the United States. I use my muslim name (Abu Huraira) on my correspondence and calling cards. I do not hide what I am … people just don't understand what it means to be who I am.
I've been working with computers for over twenty years now … I have my own WWW server running in my living room. There is no lack of "experience" in my background, especially for a position as WebMaster for a company. In the last year, only ONE prospective employer has called me in for an interview … and that job went to someone who had written a best-selling book on the Web. (He had no intention of hiring me … he just wanted to meet someone who belonged to Mensa.)
So, when I ask myself the question, "Why can't I get a job interview?", the only answer I can find is "Prejudice & Discrimination." People may think that all you need to survive in America is to have ambition and talent, but if you are non-White or non-Christian, you still have to work twice as hard to get half as far.
This has been a very interesting experience … people get my resume by electronic mail, they call me and ask if I'm still available, and then they never call back to schedule an interview … THEY DO NOT EVEN RETURN MY SUBSEQUENT TELEPHONE CALLS!
So, this is the way the game is played … avoid all further contact with me so that they will not face litigation … when pressed, they will say that they never heard of me, and I will be hard-pressed to prove that we ever had any contact whatsoever.
I'll never forget the first or the last time someone called me a "nigger" … the first time was in 1958 when I was eight years old … the last time was July 4th, 1988. Both times it was in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I think that just about says it all, and I really feel sorry for people like me who live in the South.
This is just a reminder to all of the people who think that everything is Just Fine in America. It doesn't matter if your IQ is higher than 98% of the population … if you have dark skin or get down on your hands and knees five times a day to thank God for the strength to get back up again, then you're Just Not Good Enough to share in the gravy-train of the American Experience.
Well, I'm sick of this, and I'm going to do something about it … I haven't figured out what just yet, but it's going to be pretty spectacular.
That is all I have to say. -=DAH=- 1997-02-24
Last update: 1997-02-24 by <dennette@wiz-worx.com>
<Who is this "Dennette" person?>