Professional Work in a “Post-Racial” Era:

Presenter: Adia Harvey Wingfield, PhD

Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor in Arts & Science,

Assistant Vice Provost, Washington University in St. Louis

2-4PM = Talk followed by Q&A and book signing opportunity

4-5PM = Closed discussion with medical/ graduate students (RSVP HERE)

What happens to black professionals when work transforms? In an era of rapid technological change, shrinking protections for workers, and growing income inequality, work is no longer the secure, stable, predictable path to economic stability that it once was for some segments of the population. Instead, organizations today focus on shedding labor, cutting costs, and increasing shareholder returns. And until recently, many organizations also professed an interest in meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse population. How do they manage the tensions of adapting to these neoliberal ideals in a more multiracial society?

This research study focuses on black professionals in the health care industry to answer this question. Using in depth interviews, field observations, and survey data analysis, I show how work transformation fundamentally changes the labor black professionals do within and outside of organizations. This labor varies by occupational status and gender, leaving black men and black women with divergent responsibilities depending on their position in the organizational hierarchy. Ultimately, this research identifies new challenges for organizations and reveals an additional way that racial inequality gets perpetuated in the new economy.

Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield’s book, Flatlining: Race, Work, & Health Care in the New Economy, will be available for purchase on-site or attendees can use promo code EVENT40 for a 40% discount when purchasing her book on the product’s website here.

Co-sponsored by The Bunche Center, Community Health Sciences, Sociology of Health Equity (SHE) Lab, Collaborative Research on African American Wellness & Longevity (CRAAWL) Lab, Anthropology & Sociology Departments, UCLA DGSOM HETSS Research Theme, and the Rangell Social Medicine Grand Rounds Series