John Bickley

Yeah, I mean, I guess it was about 15 years ago.

I remember sitting in a cafe doing some computer programming on my laptop and a well-dressed black man was sitting next to me and he looked over at my screen and he said, I see your programming in C++.

Do you want to come work for me?

And the problem was I was not programming in C++.

I was programming in a different language that looks nothing like it.

And I remember thinking, like, what is going on here?

Why is this guy, he doesn't even know what programming is, but he wants to hire me off the street when I'm not even a real computer programmer.

I kind of dabble in it on the side.

But for all I know, he was ready to task me with building some sensitive government system.

Because I said, you know, what's going on?

He said, well, it's it's a day contract.

I mean, I just I just get the contract and then I basically find random people to do the work.

So, you know, I didn't take the job.

Instead, I as an investigative reporter looked into a day.

And what I found is that that's pretty much par for the course.

Well, if you're a racial minority, the government can give you a contract without trying to find the best price or the best person.

More than 5% of all federal contracts are reserved for these special companies that have pre-designated minority or disadvantaged status.

And you look at the women owned companies.

I mean, a lot of times it's really just a man who has a company and he puts the company in his wife's name.

I mean, there's not really any way to prove otherwise.