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These are the 5 Blackest Jobs in America
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May 16, 2025
These 5 sectors have the highest concentration of Black people in America. Did you guess any of them? The Lease Diverse, Highest Paying Jobs: https://youtu.be/sxoz0DCERP0?si=Rp-f2PRtiK4LLpIw Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss any future videos! Check out the books we love and recommend in our Black Excellence Book Club: https://www.blackexcellence.com/store/ Some links are affiliate links, which means we earn a very tiny commission if you make a purchase. __________________________________________________________ Sharing interesting and noteworthy stories in Black culture. All content provided by Black Excellence Media, LLC is for entertainment purposes only. None of the information or advice provided is to replace professional advice. Website: https://blackexcellence.com
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0:00
In the contemporary American labor
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market, patterns of racial
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representation reflect a complex
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interplay of historical, economic, and
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social forces. Certain employment fields
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show a significant over representation
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of African-Americans, while other fields
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have very small black representation.
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Understanding why African-Americans are
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concentrated in specific sectors
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requires examining not only labor
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statistics, but also the legalities of
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discrimination, educational access,
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systematic inequality, and cultural
0:30
dynamics. So, that's what we're getting
0:32
into today. Hi, my name is Jared and I
0:35
talk about interesting stories and
0:36
trends in black culture because black
0:38
culture is just so interesting to me. If
0:41
you share my interest, hit that
0:42
subscribe button and let's deep dive
0:44
into some interesting black culture and
0:46
history in every episode. According to
0:48
the data from the US Bureau of Labor
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Statistics, BLS, and the US Census
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Bureau, African-Americans are
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disproportionately represented in
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several occupational sectors. While
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representation does not necessarily
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imply discrimination or disadvantage,
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the underlying causes and consequences
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of this concentration warrant close
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scrutiny. But before I get into some of
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the blackest jobs in America, I want you
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guys to leave your guesses in the
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comments. Give me your top three fields
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you think have the highest black
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percentages. And because my audience is
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just hilarious, I'm sure the comments
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are going to be filled with what people
1:24
think are black jobs. And a little
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disclaimer before I get started. I know
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that these are not the only black jobs
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that there are in America. There's
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always somebody in the comments
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misrepresenting my ideas and I want to
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get ahead of that. Now, of course, black
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people are in all types of sectors.
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These are just what the numbers say as
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far as the highest concentration today.
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We will take a look at the top five
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fields with the highest black
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percentages. Number one, healthc care
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support occupations. Black people are
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significantly over represented in
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healthcare support roles, particularly
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as nursing assistants, home health aids,
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and personal care aids. According to the
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BLS, as of 2023, approximately 35% of
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nursing assistants are African-American,
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although African-Americans make up only
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about 13% of the US population. And this
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trend is not new. There's a long history
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of African-Americans working in
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caregiving roles during and after
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slavery. During the reconstruction and
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Jim Crow eras, African-Americans,
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especially women, were often relegated
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to roles as domestic workers, nannies,
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and caregivers. These roles became
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institutionalized pathways into the
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labor market. Even as segregation ended,
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African-Americans found better access to
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entry-level health care positions than
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to roles requiring advanced degrees such
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as physicians or administrators due to
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the barriers in education and licensing.
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Caregiving is high upon the list of some
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of the most incredible and difficult
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work anybody can do. So, thank you for
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those in the field in whatever capacity.
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Shout out to all of our caregivers. And
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number two, we have protective service
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occupations. African-Americans also show
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higher representation in protective
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services, particularly in urban law
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enforcement and correctional officer
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roles. BLS data indicates that about 28%
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of security guards and 27% of
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correctional officers are
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African-American. This is a complex
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dynamic often driven by economic
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opportunity, community stability, and
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recruitment practices in heavily black
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urban areas. In cities with large black
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populations, police departments often
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recruit locally, leading to a higher
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black representation. However, this over
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representation in enforcement roles does
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not necessarily translate to leadership
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positions within police departments. At
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number three, we have transportation and
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material moving. The transportation
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sector, including roles such as bus
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drivers, subway operators, and delivery
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personnel, also sees a significant
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number of African-American workers.
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According to the BLS, African-Americans
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make up about 26% of public
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transportation workers. The roots of
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this over representation go back to the
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great migration during which millions of
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African-Americans move from the rural
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south to industrial cities in the north
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and west in search of better economic
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opportunities. Many found stable work in
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manufacturing and transportation. While
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the manufacturing sector has seen
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massive declines, transportation jobs,
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particularly those associated with
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public infrastructure and logistics,
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have remained a constant employment
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avenue for many urban African-American
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communities. And up until recently,
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these jobs provided well for families
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across the country. With some even
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having great government pensions and
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other retirement plans. As life has
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gotten dramatically more expensive in
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recent years, it's doubtful if these
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jobs will be able to provide the middle
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class lifestyle they once provided. And
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as autonomous driving vehicles are
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becoming more and more common, we might
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want to get out of this field as soon as
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we can. At number four, we have public
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administration and civil service. Black
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people are also significantly over
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represented in government jobs,
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particularly in administrative support
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and clerical roles. The US Equal
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Employment Opportunity Commission notes
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that about 18% of federal employees are
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African-American. This trend has its
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roots in the civil rights movement when
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the federal government became one of the
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largest employers to implement
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affirmative action and equal opportunity
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policies. As a result, many
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African-Americans sought civil service
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jobs because they offered more
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protection against racial discrimination
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than the private sector. These jobs
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provided stability, benefits, and a
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pathway to middle class status for many
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black families, especially during times
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when corporate opportunities were
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limited or overly discriminatory. And
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this is also one of the reasons why
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areas surrounding Washington DC have
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some of the highest median incomes for
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black households. A lot of those jobs
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were federal jobs that pay well and
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produce thriving black communities. And
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at number five, lastly, we have to
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include this, entertainment and sports.
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Though not traditionally grouped with
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other labor sectors, the entertainment
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and sports industry deserve mention due
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to the highly visible over
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representation of African-Americans.
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Black athletes dominate professional
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football and basketball. While black
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musicians and performers are central to
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genres like hiphop, R&B, and gospel.
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However, this over representation can be
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misleading. The entertainment industry
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is highly selective, competitive, and
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does not provide a stable income for the
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vast majority. The over representation
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of African-Americans in certain
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employment sectors is not a coincidence.
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While these roles have sustained many
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families and communities, they also
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highlight the persistent boundaries that
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continue to shape black labor in
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America. Understanding these dynamics is
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a crucial step in dismantling systemic
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inequality and building a labor market
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where African-Americans can thrive
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across all professions. We did a video a
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while back that looks into high-paying
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jobs with very little diversity. So,
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please check that out to see fields that
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we really should be getting into. Even
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though with AI coming, I don't even know
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what those fields are. So, we should all
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just be basically learning AI, AI, and
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more AI. Anyway, that's it for this
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video. I'll check you guys out on the
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next one.
#Discrimination & Identity Relations
#Jobs
#Social Issues & Advocacy