Legal outsiders, strategic toughness: Racial frames and counter-frame in the legal profession

Despite the advantages of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, black workers remain underrepresented among the ranks of professional/managerial employees. Black professional men occupy a somewhat unique position in that they can benefit from gendered advantages in male-dominated occupations, but still encounter racial biases and obstacles given that most professional occupations remain predominantly white. The author uses Joe R. Feagin’s concepts of white racial framing and counter-framing to assess how black male lawyers understand the challenges they face in these environments, as well as the strategies they use to resist.