The significance of this proposed Rowman & Littlefield handbook is its utility in understanding both the present-day and future implications of workplace diversity and stratification. The handbook will encompass a comprehensive review of theoretical and empirical research from a variety of disciplines, as well as emerging themes on workplace diversity and stratification in organizations and institutions in the United States. The focus will be on engaging various theoretical and practical implications of the impact of diversity on individuals within the institution, the organization, and the resulting social, psychological, cultural, political and economic effects on society. In order to engage in deep dialogue about workplace diversity and stratification, the handbook will include thorough analyses of its historical development, present-day implications and future trends. The multiplicity of workplace diversity research provides critical perspectives from leading scholars in various fields of study including Sociology, Psychology, Management, Economics, Social Policy, Entrepreneurship, Gender Studies, Religious Studies, and Geography. Although the primary focus of the handbook will be to examine workplace diversity and stratification within the context of the United States, the editor will ensure that comparative analyses situating diversity in a global context will be included as appropriate. This comprehensive academic handbook will be crucial for both readers and users interested in a wide range of critical issues, while narrowing in on specific intersecting topics that engage challenging and complicated issues which will spark further insightful dialogues. Timeliness and Importance Diversity and Inclusion has become a key catchphrase in every organization and institution, ranging from corporations, academic institutions, political machines and more. Marketing tools and promotional selling points often invoke the relevance of diversity and inclusion as a means of signaling opportunity and access for all. However, even with the overuse of diversity and inclusion mantras there often lies its underwhelming results. The growing rates of diversity and inclusion requirements within institutional practices suggests that diversity and inclusion will not fade into the background. People are demanding that organizations be held accountable to the diversity and inclusion mission statements on their websites. This proposed handbook is timely because there is a growing demand for diversity to become more than a buzzword, to understand the value that diversity brings and find concrete ways of developing policies and practices that will make diversity an intrinsic part of any organizational culture. This academic handbook will be a rich and valuable resource for researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, company leadership and boards, clients, customers, and anyone interested in understanding what workplace diversity and stratification mean for everyday people, institutions, and society as a whole and how to endeavor towards reaching that goal.

You Don't Look Like a Lawyer: Black Women and Systemic Gendered Racism highlights how race and gender create barriers to recruitment, professional development, and advancement to partnership for black women in elite corporate law firms. Utilizing narratives of black female lawyers, this book offers a blend of accessible theory to benefit any reader willing to learn about the underlying challenges that lead to their high attrition rates. Drawing from narratives of black female lawyers, their experiences center around gendered racism and are embedded within institutional practices at the hands of predominantly white men. In particular, the book covers topics such as appearance, white narratives of affirmative action, differences and similarities with white women and black men, exclusion from social and professional networking opportunities and lack of mentors, sponsors and substantive training. This book highlights the often-hidden mechanisms elite law firms utilize to perpetuate and maintain a dominant white male system. Weaving the narratives with a critical race analysis and accessible writing, the reader is exposed to this exclusive elite environment, demonstrating the rawness and reality of black women's experiences in white spaces. Finally, we get to hear the voices of black female lawyers as they tell their stories and perspectives on working in a highly competitive, racialized and gendered environment, and the impact it has on their advancement and beyond.