Words from Ready 2 Work Participant Trent Grandberry

A recent statement by the Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia stated that 17% of city jobs were vacant. As a Black man living in Los Angeles, a Black man who has spent years attempting to get hired by the city of Los Angeles, this is appalling but not surprising.  

Black workers throughout history have consistently been placed on the back burner in society when it comes to ensuring that we are provided with access to high-paying, long-term careers. Despite our varying levels of education, we are often overlooked for opportunities that allow us to provide for our families without having to resort to the informal economy in order to stay afloat. 

In recent years, more than half of Black workers have been underemployed, and we’ve made up over 80% of the unemployment rate in California. This has led us to be more than 40% of the homeless population despite only being 7% of the population in the state. In other words, almost half of the population of Black people in the state of California are homeless due in part to a lack of access to gainful employment opportunities. 

The issues that Black workers face did not start overnight but are a product of societal ideologies and political policies that often overlook minorities, particularly Black workers like myself. Not to mention, people often hire within their personal networks and families, which often leaves Black workers out of spaces that we are qualified for. Thus, it’s not that we’re unemployable but that we’re unable to get sustainable employment because of systematic issues that directly impact us. 

So, when I read that Controller Meija’s office is looking for nonprofits to support, and I know organizations like the Los Angeles Black Worker Center are fighting to secure jobs for Black workers in the city, I’m confused. I’m confused by the difficulties I’ve seen this organization face trying to work with various city departments to secure jobs for people like myself when there are clear vacancies. 

Yes, Controller Meija’s office listed a number of suggestions to fill these vacancies, and while these are good in theory, these suggestions overlook organizations that are seeking to provide solutions that directly address the Black jobs crisis. Organizations like the Los Angeles Black Worker Center provide career readiness programming that directly supports the unique needs of Black workers. 

I recently participated in their Ready 2 Work program, which works with the city to provide employment opportunities to those affected by the Black jobs crisis. Without this program, trying to secure a job with the city felt like a lost cause for myself and many other Black workers who are participating with me, as you often need to know someone who is currently employed with the city to get hired. However, it’s been disappointing to find out that despite this organization's best efforts, it seems that Black workers are still being met with resistance because the city is providing the Los Angeles Black Worker Center with very few career opportunities for their workforce development program participants. Again, this is confusing because why wouldn’t the city want to hire people who have gone through a workforce development program catered to their specific positions? 

If the city is truly seeking to address the alarming percentage in which Black Angelenos are underrepresented in the workforce and the city is seeking to fill their vacancies, the city must focus on engaging with policies and programming that impact those affected by the Black jobs crisis.

Read more about the City Controllers statements here.