A former Facebook employee on Tuesday lamented the under-representation of black people in the social network teams, saying they were subject to remarks and derogatory behavior by other employees.
Mark Luckie, himself a black man, posted a message on his Facebook page that he sent on November 8 to all employees of the social network around the world, the day before leaving his position as manager of strategic partnerships.
“Facebook has a problem with blacks,” he writes, saying they are “marginalized.”
The world’s first social network was not immediately available to answer these accusations.
Mark Luckie, who does not explain the reasons for his departure, says that black employees are told, for example: “I did not know that black people were working for Facebook.”
He also cites the example of employees who were “accosted more aggressively than necessary by campus security”.
However, he says that the number of black employees has doubled, from 2% of the workforce in 2016 to 4% in 2018.
Not the opinion of all
Carl Smith, also posing as a black Facebook employee, swept aside Mark Luckie’s charges.
“Mr. Luckie does not speak on behalf of us all. Ironically, Mark and I started working on Facebook the same day. I’m still here, “he wrote in a message posted on his Facebook page.
He ensures to wear, at his place of work, t-shirts with the mention “Black Lives Matter” (the life of blacks account), the movement having emerged after a long series of police burrs often involving white agents against black men.
“And I feel very comfortable doing it,” he added.
A report on diversity published in July confirms this figure of 4%, noting that the number of black employees increases to 8% for sales activities.
“However, we continue to have difficulty recruiting Blacks and Hispanics into technical and coaching jobs,” said Diversity Officer Maxine Williams.
