As Barack Obama continues to make progress as a serious candidate for President of the United States, it may appear to many of us that we as a nation have come very far in the fight against racism. And though that notion is true, equally true is the unfortunate fact that racial harassment and discrimination in the workplace (particularly against Black workers) still continue to degrade the American workplace.

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), racial harassment cases have more than doubled since the 1990s. From the year 2000 through 2007, the EEOC received 51,000 racial harassment charges, 90 percent of which came from Black workers.

While many of the cases receive high levels press coverage (i.e. the hangman’s noose found on the door of a Black professor and the recent Lockheed Martin discrimination settlement), the vast majority of these cases receive limited press coverage, if they get any at all. Take for example the lawsuit involving AK Steel (settled for $600,000 in January 2007), where workers were allegedly subjected to Nazi symbols, nooses, KKK videos, and graffiti with messages to murder blacks.

Or the suit in July 2006 where Home Depot paid $125,000 to settle with a claimant who alleged to have been "subjected to a racially hostile work environment because management condoned racial remarks by his supervisors who called him ‘black dog,’ ‘black boy.’”

That such hostile behavior towards African American employees still exists in any American workplace is shameful and disgusting. Whatever happened to the workplace that is inclusive and welcoming of diversity?

The truth is that it still exists, but despite that glorious fact, racial harassment against blacks in the workplace still seems to be escalating. According to some labor experts, this escalation in racial harassment may be linked to several things, including the increase in people of color in the US workplace and the struggling economy. Some experts even blame the increase on the pervasive violence in video games that has seemingly desensitized Americans to the type of hostile behavior that leads to racial harassment at work.

The increase in people of color in the workplace, coupled with the current downturn in the economy may have also lead some ignoramuses to wrongfully believe that African Americans and other minorities are taking jobs that may have otherwise been given to more qualified white employees. And while there may be a minute amount of cases where that may be true, hostile behavior towards Black or other minority workers by anyone is inexcusable.

Clearly, this type of racial harassment needs to be stopped. But the problem is that in most cases, even when an employee reports such actions to the proper workplace authorities, their complaints are met with condescending attitudes and comments like "boys will be boys." (Lockheed Martin case) And other victims of racial harassment just don’t have the wherewithal it takes to push a racial harassment case to the point of true justice. In fact, less than 20 percent of race complaints ever end up with some sort of monetary or work-related wins.

As this new year begins, both diversity and mainstream employees alike need to resolve to put an end to racial harassment in the workplace. Black employees who are racially harassed need to fight the good fight for justice (even if there's no monetary reward) and they need the support of all employees who see this type of injustice occurring in the workplace.

Because only by working together will we be able to defeat the monster that is racial harassment and discrimination.