Fighting the Shadow Corporation: Black Networking in Corporate America, 1964–80

In 1964, E. Frederic Morrow, a former member of the Eisenhower administration, became the first black vice-president at Bank of America.  Ten years later, he left convinced that he was not involved in the company’s vital planning.  Though he was an executive, the real decision-making was done at country and yacht clubs.  These were “the executive playgrounds of the rich that are off limits to dark skins and accents and certain designated nationalities,” Morrow stated.  “Blacks are not of these scenes no matter what their corporate designation.”

In the 1960s-1970s, Black Americans initiated a period of change in employment practices and pressed forward into previously white workplaces.  Yet while African Americans made inroads, they often found their careers slowed by an inability to pierce the informal side of the company.  New hires arriving with the right contacts had an easier time penetrating cliques, had mentors teaching them the ropes, and had access to the company power brokers.  Meanwhile, recruits who arrived as “outsiders” received a company orientation booklet and an empty desk.  Recalling his lack of mentorship as compared to other employees, a black manager noted, “I didn’t know which way to turn, whom to trust, or who would be willing to listen.”

Scholars have recognized the importance of networking and social capital to individual success in corporate America, but generally neglected how minority newcomers negotiated their surroundings during the rights revolutions of the 1960s and 70s.  Networking among black white-collars was one method used to adapt to corporate life.  Black groups such as the Corporate Few and Concerned Black Executives challenged employers to meet diversity commitments, but also demanded that fellow black workers distinguish themselves on the job.  These organizations advanced careers, also serving as a place to vent and deal with the frustrations involved in breaking down barriers.