Racism at Work and Racial Identity of Black Graduates of Elite Universities: A Psychology of Working Perspective.

This article examines how experiences of racial microaggressions at work affect the well-being and work-fulfillment of Black graduates from elite U.S. universities, using Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) as a framework. Surveying 1,010 Black alumni from top 25 universities, the study found that microinvalidations—a form of color-blind racism that denies racial identity—negatively impact mental health, while Internalization racial identity attitudes, which involve valuing one's racial group, are positively associated with well-being and job satisfaction. Although racial identity attitudes correlated with outcomes, they did not significantly moderate the relationship between microaggressions and well-being or work-fulfillment. The findings highlight that despite socioeconomic advantages from elite education, Black graduates continue to face workplace racism, underscoring the need for institutional and organizational efforts to address anti-Black racism and support affected individuals.