I have the distinct advantage of being white (and by that I mean very N. European) and my wife is from the Caribbean (being a mix of African, European and whatever).  For the better part of our careers we have both worked in the high tech sector, even at the same company for a while.  Seeing as many people did not realize the relationship between my wife and myself, they would say things in my presence which revealed their true nature and often that nature, especially towards black professionals, was simply wretched.  In the modern workplace visible, religious, and ethnic minorities are well represented but most people have come to accept that people from those non-white groups have a long history of achieving their professional credentials.  For black people though, far too many people still believe that they should be subservient and just happy to have a good job, and heaven forbid that a black person say something more intelligent than anyone else or challenge a non-black colleague.