LogFAQs > #960674443

This is kind of a double-edged sword. You're either discriminating or using models that were created in discriminatory areas. Either way, the end result is pretty bad.

What defined professionalism in the US was set at a time when Black Americans were largely barred from pursuing professional careers. In that regard, it is a product of systemic racism.

I'm not disregarding the potential for direct racism. However, it could easily see someone being unaware that the standard is a White Eurocentric standard based off of models that were set during periods of segregation and oppression. What I mean to say is that they could be unaware that it is a "White norm" and think of it solely as a norm. I think this requires more of a case-by-case examination more than a blanket "White professionals are racist toward Black professions" assumption.

Don't get me wrong. It is racist to project one's own cultural standards as definitive. But, as with many areas of systemic racism, it's something that a person can do unconsciously and without malice. (Which is all the more reason why we need to be aware of it.)