Reflections on my Profession by a Black Civil Engineer

I am greatly encouraged to see the active participation of engineers in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and many other areas of the country in an earnest effort to involve many more minorities in engineering. I receive reports of many companies actively seeking minority candidates for positions, and while I temper my enthusiasm with the knowledge that some of this is due to pressure from public agencies contracting policies, I still applaud loudly. My optimism is buoyed when my society, ASCE, creates a Committee on Minority Programs at the National Level and when I am invited to serve on this committee. Frankly, I see a long road ahead and many many miles to travel but, I say to myself, perhaps something can and will be done, perhaps the atmosphere will be altered and maybe someday in my lifetime I will be able to attend a meeting of civil engineers completely unnoticed because I am just another of quite a few minorities present.