Discrimination in employment against blacks and other minorities operates on job applications sight-unseen: employers reject them because the applicant's name sounds like a black.

This article reports on the UK situation, but I expect it is the same in the US.

I wonder if it is possible to do something about this by preventing the application from showing the applicant's race. But would that make a real difference in who gets hired, or would it only postpone application of the bias?

There is evidence of applying bias against women in a similar way.

*Millions more people vulnerable to flooding in next decade, study shows.*

Research on comparative genetics of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang could be used by China for repression.

*Labour calls for ‘hard-edged’ end date for oil and gas exploration.*

That date should be last year, if not today.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra fired flutist Emily Skala, partly because she advocated right-wing politics, but also because she refused to wear a mask.

Wearing a mask is an important safety precaution, and firing people for refusing to do that is entirely justified. They should have offered her some other way to hand in her tax document, but I don't think she could have done her job without wearing a mask.

What she said is another issue. I disagree completely with her views, and I condemn her reported bigotry. However, it is harmful to society for employers to impose political limits on what employees say outside of work, unless their job is to speak for the organization. We see an increased tendency to restrict employees' political expression. This does not violate the First Amendment, but freedom of expression goes beyond the First Amendment. Restricting employees' freedom of expression makes society less free.