National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, Atlanta Chapter

As African American professionals, we have a unique history as it relates to the Human Resources profession. As the workforce in America began to integrate in the mid 1960's, management opportunities were scarce for African American professionals. The field of Human Resources management, then commonly known as "personnel", was seen primarily as an administrative adjunct role within companies. The presences of African Americans in the field of personnel began to grow as the Civil Rights Movement began to create momentum for equality in the public and private sectors of America. As companies began to face new challenges in regards to employment law, employee retention, compensation review and benefit costs; the role of the once personnel professional began to transition into a true management role. Now, the Human Resources professional is more often seen as a strategic business partner who manages company's most valued commodity - human capital. In the future, African American human resources professionals will continue to help companies shape their workforce and help manage them to meet the diverse business needs of the workplace.