The Creativity Gap: Addressing Diversity Gaps in Creative Jobs. A speech originally given by Linnette Morel November 2024 at Middlesex Community College in New Brunswick, NJ.
Full reenactment of speech here.
According to Bloomberg: Across America, 73.8 percent [almost 75%] of all creative jobs nationwide are held by white workers.
In contrast eight point five percent of creative jobs are held by African Americans. That is one-third less than how many black people exist in the United States.
And when I looked up Latinos? We’re not even a number.
Google didn’t give me a percentage. They showed me an article from The Atlantic:
About 40 percent of Latinos work in service jobs, and another 40 percent in working-class positions. So 80% of us are good at cleaning and fixing? Well yes, but we have more to offer. That’s not all.
If you’ve been looking around at TV, media, or anything on a screen and thinking: “That’s not how we act, this isn’t accurate”. Then it’s because it’s not. It’s made by a white person who thinks that’s how a Latino acts or that’s how a black person acts based on a google search.
Bectu: This is because Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts at a more senior level are often being neglected. 66% of employers admitted to focusing (DEI) practices predominantly at entry level.
I experienced it myself coming out of college. I graduated with a Bachelors, two or three years of experience under my belt. Guess how long it took me to find a creative job that fits my needs. Three months? Six months? Try two years.
Two years of doubting my skills, two years of getting interviewed by people who don’t look like me.
And I thought why aren’t there more of us? Is it because we aren’t creative? Are there not enough of us? And now that I am on the other side. It’s not that there aren’t enough of us, it’s that the people hiring don’t relate and don’t know where to find us.
But why should you care right? How does this affect your future?
Think back to the first time you felt inspired by something you saw when you were younger. Now think about what you were inspired by. You liked them because they reminded you of you or your culture.
Now imagine all of those feelings, the inspiration, the warm feelings of inclusion never existing.
That’s where we are headed. No representation.
If you’re passionate about connecting black and latino students and young professionals to the creative industry, here are programs and resources where you can get started. Let’s lay the foundation for our future representation.
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