The Madison Avenue Project & the Eternal Whiteness of Ad Agencies

Mad Men - Season One

Last week the NAACP and the law firm, Mehri & Skalet, launched the Madison Avenue Project with the release of a research report from Bendick and Egan Economic Consultants that "found bias against African-American professionals in pay, hiring, promotions, assignments, and other areas of employment in the advertising industry."

They also state:

"If you are employed in the advertising industry and have experienced racial discrimination in your workplace, please contact us at (202) 822-5100."

The NY Times has more including initial responses from major ad agencies.

On a related note, I've been watching season one of Mad Men, a totally awesome tv series that takes place on Madison Avenue in the early 1960s and find it a compelling portrait of the white, male dominated advertising industry and the challenges faced by white women trying to move up. It's one of those great examples of how a well-done series can not only entertain but also give one a sense of what it felt like to be in a certain setting.

Given that the only black employees, and possibly the only black people, shown in the first season are an elevator operator, a janitor and a lunch cart operator, two of which are fired unfairly before the end of the season, it's not hard to imagine the difficulties for people of color in the industry.