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‘Black people don’t make it’: JP Morgan worker of 6 years says her master’s degree didn’t matter. Here’s why she quit her corporate job

‘No bonus. No cost of living adjustment. No raise.’

Photo of Melody Heald

Melody Heald

JP Morgan worker of 6 years says her master's degree didn't matter.

A former JP Morgan worker revealed why she quit her job after six years—because, as she depicted it, there was no “upward mobility” for her.

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The video featured TikTok user @t_siracusaaa, who claimed the reason he quit her job at JP Morgan after six years was “because there was absolutely no upward mobility for me.” The video racked up over 22,000 views as of July 2.

“For other people, there was but for me, there wasn’t,” she stated. Her theory? Because she is “mixed with Black.” Then, the content creator revealed how she worked at the company for about six to seven years, is “highly credentialed,” “highly educated,” with a “master’s degree” but it wasn’t enough.

@t_siracusaaa “ Why I left my Corporate Job “ #corporate #office #job #fypシ #black #america #diversity #viral #corporateamerica #fyp ♬ original sound – T
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During the time she worked there, she contends she didn’t receive any “bonuses, cost of living adjustments, promotions, or raises.” Regardless of how hard she worked, she said she never saw “the same results” as her peers. She also contends that she noticed the same trend happening to other Black people.

“Black people don’t make it in JP Morgan,” she contended. “They don’t move up, or they get cut first, or they stay the same,” she stated. “And that’s what happened to me. So, I left.”

A number of commenters were thrilled that she left JP Morgan.

“You knew your worth, you did what most wouldn’t,” one viewer wrote. “Happy for you!”

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“They call it persona non grata. Basically you’re not welcome there. Good decision to leave,” a second agreed.

“I admire the bold move,” another remarked. “Always do what’s best for you. Equatable opportunity for advancement is nonexistent for black people.”

Others came into the comments section alleging that the company has been doing this for a long time.

“JP Morgan Chase been doing this for years all races,” contended one.”

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“This girl is so goddamn right,” adding the company has been ‘doing this for decades and nobody sees it but you make them motherf*ckers rich and you stay is.”

“Private companies promote who they like,” someone else alleged. “Has nothing to do with merit.”

In May, the Daily Mail reported that the banking company was called out for allegedly discriminating on the basis of religious and political beliefs, though the charges were that it was singling out conversatives.

Back in March 2021, according to Yahoo!, a former employee accused JP Morgan of racial profiling, with allegations along the lines of what the TikToker shared in her video.

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The Daily Dot reached out to the creator via Instagram direct message, TikTok direct message and TikTok comment. The Daily Dot also reached out to JP Morgan via email regarding the video.

Update 5:55pm CT, July 3, 2023: During an interview with the Daily Dot, the creator made this observation after everyone in her graduating class received bonuses except for her.

“As soon as I graduated the 2 year entry-level program and got a job outside of the program.  As years passed by, everyone in my graduating class started to move up, get raises, bonuses while I stayed the same,” she shared via direct message.

In addition, she noticed that people of color were not promoted or able to find a job outside of the program. The content creator reached out to her bosses, HR, and lawyers multiple times only to be ignored.

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“The outcome was that I was ignored, I was discriminated against, I was denied upward mobility, I was held back, no one even fought for me, they didn’t look like me and yet represented me. Whenever I tried to speak about it, I was silenced and retaliated against,” she said.

She believed she was discriminated against because of her “Blackness.”

“I am Black, even if mixed, it’s all on account of my Blackness that I was denied financial freedom in that company,” she stated. “Whether it’s my skin tone, my hair texture, my background, to the way I speak. Racism is very much alive. It is not blatant, it is subtle. It is in the form of never giving promotion to a Black performer or maybe just one person gets it.”

 
The Daily Dot