Accepted Job Meant for Black and Brown Minorities as an Indian-American - AITA?

Three weeks into a job process, the whole thing can still flip on one weird look. In this Reddit post, an Indian-American applicant says the hiring manager squinted at their name, then asked about heritage like it was part of the interview questions, not just small talk.

After that awkward moment, the interview goes great. They get the offer, accept, start working under the same manager, and feel lucky. Then office gossip hits them with the twist: the position was supposedly meant for “under-represented minorities,” and apparently that did not include Indian-Americans. Human resources is upset, and now the OP is stuck feeling guilty for getting the job they earned.

Here’s the full story, and it gets messy fast.

During the job interview, the hiring manager squinted at my name and frowned a little bit before asking what my heritage was.

I told him very straightforwardly that I was Indian-American (as in the subcontinent in Asia). He nodded his head a little bit, and the rest of the interview went very well.

3 weeks ago, I was contacted by him again and offered a job. I accepted, and a week after that, I began to work directly under him.

But today I heard from the office gossip that my position was supposed to be for "y'know.....

under-represented minorities" i.e. not Indian-Americans, and that human resources was upset with my boss for hiring me.

I feel a little bad, I guess, but my boss was so impressed with my resume and the interview that he thought I should get the job anyways. I don't know, am I the a*****e here?

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It also echoes the WIBTA debate where someone wanted to keep all of their mom’s inheritance.

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Right after the hiring manager’s squint and heritage question, the interview suddenly goes “very well,” which is exactly why this feels so unfair later.

When the job offer comes three weeks after that moment and the OP starts working directly under him, it sounds like a win, not a ticking time bomb.

Then the gossip drops, saying the role was intended for “under-represented minorities” and HR is upset, which turns the whole acceptance into a moral gray area.

Now that the boss hired them based on the resume and interview, the OP has to wonder if they’re the problem just because the paperwork had different plans.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Share your perspective in the comments below.

OP might not be the a-hole, but that HR mess definitely is.

Still debating fairness in family rules? See what happened when siblings argued over equal inheritance.