TRANSFERS GO BOTH WAYS

I’ve had my share of problems as an employee for the Michigan Department of Corrections, so when I was told by the Sergeant to close down my classroom and report to the Warden’s conference room immediately, all I could think was "here we go again." The year was 1994 and I was still a guppy trying to fit in, trying to learn all the nuances of dealing with inmates. Hey, it was them against us, we had to stick together, had to. Management even gave us Team Spirit pins and an official pep talk delivered on a general memorandum declaring "Team Work Makes The Dream Work."

Before I marched my timid self to the administration building, I popped my head into the principal’s office to see if she could enlighten me. My concerns deepened when she said she hadn’t a clue. After making a phone call, she claimed that maybe it had something to do with the recent ride-ins. I agreed. Two weeks prior, our facility received a Greyhound bus full of white convicts. My initial reaction had been Uh-oh, I’m not so sure this is going to work. You see, our facility housed predominately black inmates. Management had decided we needed a better racial balance, and as far as I could gather, it was because the few white inmates we had were always pleading to be transferred out. In no uncertain terms would the transfer coordinator show preferential treatment. Thus, bring in more whites.

Greeted by a long line of employees waiting to get into the Warden’s conference room, I asked the maintenance worker in front of me, "Hey, what’s going on?" He replied, "You don’t know? Take a look around." I’ve always known the Department of Corrections to hire a diverse staff, but when I stepped back, I saw only white male employees standing in line. The maintenance worker continued, "The EEOC is here to investigate reverse discrimination."

Here are some of the standard questions I was asked including my answers:

Q: How long have you worked at this facility?
A: Approximately two years.

Q: Who do you eat lunch with, white, or black employees?
A: Wherever there’s an available seat.

Q: Have you ever been passed up for a promotion based on your race?
A: I haven’t been here long enough to find out.

Q: Have you witnessed any tension among white and black coworkers?
A: Not really. But racial tension among the inmates seems to be increasing.

Unlike others, my interview ended rather abruptly. I started to wonder whether some of my fellow white coworkers were requesting transfers of their own. As for myself, I made a lateral transfer in 1997, having turned down the promise of a promotion.