Before I worked in an office, I would never have believed this story. But after decades of it, it seems unfortunately obvious.

I'm scouring my mind to find a Black man who did well in a position of authority, and I find one - in the 1980s. He had a completely white name, he was totally white-identified, sang in a choir and loved classical music (I remember his look of pain when I mentioned Jimi Hendrix!)

A great guy, a strong manager, a decent human being - I'm not faulting him for his decision at all. (And my guess from his posh accent is that it was really his parents' decision anyway.)

It just makes me sad in hindsight that he was compelled to reject his heritage and that it was probably objectively a good idea to do so.

Thanks for another excellent article. Though it's very unlikely, I hope we get to work together someday.