'Minority Hiring: Progress or Neglect?'
stion posed in 1974 could still apply today, some industry observers feel. Increasing diversity in the industry is still a priority for the Food Marketing Institute in 2002. Augmenting minority representation within the industry and better serving minority communities are still key issues facing retail executives.
In 1974, SN turned its attention once again to an issue that had dominated public discourse throughout the 1960s. In the wake of the supermarket civil rights movement, when attention and efforts were centered around hiring practices, SN asked if anything had changed. Predictably, experts were divided. Some lamented that the industry had not changed while their opposition stated that quiet reform was still reshaping the supermarket industry as the number of minority employees in white-collar positions increased steadily.
Still, minority employees still stood largely on the fringe of the management establishment during the early 1970s. Indeed, a continued focus on minority hiring today marks both how far the industry has come and the need to continue moving forward. The issue will only become more pressing as supermarkets seek to serve increasingly diverse markets across the country.
