as a white male in the corporate world myself, although I cannot fully comprehend what you're going through personally, I do understand what you must be feeling and the concerns you've raised. I work for a top 5 public relations firm in NYC, and there are only a handful of african-american executives that I know of. Most of the non-white employees who work here either work as secretaries/administrative assistants or in the mailroom. As a member of the majority, it is very easy for me to not give ideas like these much thought, until they're brought up in forums such as these. Its a shame that people still have these 1950's mindsets and think that people are only being promoted due to government interference (affirmative action), and who cannot look past ones skin color and make determinations based on performance. I can only say that to succeed in this world, the only person who can make it happen is yourself. Stay strong!