Our multi-cultural workforce

The library system I work in is very keen on hiring a diverse staff, one that reflects the community it serves. There have been initiatives, educational imperatives, grandly touted County Plans, and solemn vows. This has gone on for several years now. We have marginally expanded the multi-cultural diversity of the staff, particularly among the lower paying jobs, but we are down to something like one percent African American employees. If any more black people leave the library system we will have minus percent black people working at our library.

This is very few black people. 

I mean, if you were struggling with the math there. 

Is this a problem?

No. Not at all. That is, if you're willing to give up on the whole American Experiment thing, end human progress, and eventually be beaten to death in your bed by jackbooted thugs.

Which, surprisingly, 40 percent of us here in the country do want now.

But it's only 40 percent, and a majority is a majority, so I am now going to tell us how to fix the problem.

And forgive me for taking a page from the Top Executives playbook.

Pay them more. A lot more.

If one is not getting the job candidates one wants one has to sweeten the pot. It's not rocket science, but if you want a rocket scientist and offer 12$ an hour no one is going to come explain to you why you don't have any rocket scientists to explain it to you. Which is very convenient if you very much want to change things, without having to change anything.