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Demonstrators denouncing systemic racism in law enforcement and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer gather at a press conference in Brooklyn, New York City, calling for the passing of bills to increase police accountability throughout New York state on June 4, 2020. Scott Heins/Getty Images
In the early 2000s, two economic researchers conducted a simple yet revealing experiment. They submitted nearly 5,000 fictitious resumés to "help wanted" ads posted in Chicago and Boston newspapers. The jobs were for entry-level positions in sales, administrative support, clerical and customer service.
The resumés were all nearly identical — same levels of education, work experience, etc. — except for one difference: Half of the job applicants were given stereotypically Black names like Lakisha and Jamal, while the other half were given "whiter-sounding" names like Emily and Greg.