Unless something basic is done, the situation will reproduce itself
for years to come.
Take, as an example, the problems of automation. This lias caused
"Structural*' unemployment throughout the American work force, i.e.
Jobs have been d(-:3troyed and not Just temporarily suspended. When
this happens, the blow fella disproportionately upon the Negro. As
the last significant group to enter the factory, the Negroes have
low seniority (if they ace lucky enough to be In union occupations)   v
and they are laid eff first. As one of the least skilled groups In the
wcrk force, they will have tha hardest tlae getting another jcb„ The
"older" Negro (that is, above forty) v/ill certainly never find another
job as good, and he may well be condemned to job Instability for the
rest of his life.
All of this is immediate and automatic. Ic is d.nne without the intervention of a single racist; yet it is a profound part of racism in the
United States. In the long run, however, automation will pose at; even
larger problem. The new structure of Saerlcau industry is doing sway
with semi-skilled jebs and dividing the wickers into polar groups: the
highly skilled technicians, the unskilled sweepers and janitors, the low-
paid workers of various Servian Industries, tha unemployed, At this
particular point in time, the deficiency in skill,and education which
American lias imposed upon the Negro becomes a special burden. It means,
in soma cases, wiping cut the gains made by Bsml-akllled workers in
mass production industries, Generally, It points toward the concentration
of Negroes in even lower sectors of the economy.
Much of this is "automatic", that is the consequence of an economic
structure which has absorbed the consequences of racism and thereby
hurts the Negro whether there is ralice or not™ H..weverf there is
another aspect of the situation which does involve conscious racism.
In I960, according to the report cf Herbert Hill, Labor Secretary of the
National Association for the HI Htm SlBBIlt of Colored Peoplea Negroes
made up only 1.69 per cent of tha total nubber of apprentices in the
economy,  (The exact figure offered by Hill has been disputed; the ,
shocking fact which he describes is agreed upon by everyone.) In short,
Negroes wera being denied the possibility of changing their plight.
The main cause of thi3 problem is the attitude of management, which
fundamentally determines hiring policy. IHt in the case of apprenticeship programs, the labor aovemeat and the Federal and state agencies Involved
also bear part of the responsibility. The exact assignment of blame has
been a controversial subject recently, yet no one has really questioned
the existence of a problem of tremendous magnitude and consequence.