Last week, my good friend Anthony Calypso and I had a conversation about his latest piece for TheGrio.com, which addressed a "dirty secret…that blacks don't tip well." Our chat led me to think about not just tipping but also the value that we place on each other–whether its in hiring and pay or patronage. Could it also be that black labor is considered less valuable by other black folk?

Certainly we've all heard and likely experienced the horror stories of "buying black," moments in which our desire to express racial solidarity goes awry. But we also have numerous stories of thriving black businesses and happy and loyal black patrons.

Still, I believe there is a larger conversation at play. One only has to look mainstream as a suggestion toward an answer. There is no secret that African Americans experience greater gaps in income and employment, and experience higher levels of unemployment than whites. Black women, for example, still earn just 64 cents for ever dollar earned by a white male.

So, there is that. But I wonder, have we internalized this de-valuation of each other? What do you think?

(Ok, I know this isn't exactly a "tech" topic, but over the years, I have had numerous conversations with black technologists on issues such as venture funding, access to resources, theft of intellectual property–a host of cases of black-on-black dealings that lead me to believe that the issue goes deeper than inadequate tipping. Thoughts?)

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The site is easy to use and pricing starts at $7 per month for Bronze membership and runs up to $18 per month for the Gold membership. At the bronze level, you get unlimited resumes and up to 20MB of storage, roughly 15 minutes of video fame, according to the site. Gold gives you the same unlimited resumes and 100MB of storage. There is a 10-day free trial on all memberships. The site provides help via how-to videos and lets you view sample resumes.

You can create your own video to add, say, an explanation of your most recent position or a particular accomplishment of which you are proud. Or, you can have one of your letters of recommendation be a video.

In theory, BriteTab is a great idea: A creative yet professional resume that gives potential employers a hint of your personality can mean the difference in a tough job market. Further, and especially important for first-time job-seekers, BriteTab can provide either continuity with other online profiles (provided you've kept a clean nose of Facebook) or an opportunity to "explain" those embarrassing photos, posts, and status updates. Yes, employers check those, too.

However, I'm not so sure that the rest of the hiring world is as color blind as Chris Matthews claims to be. I worry that a video or photo-based resume could provide an opportunity for further discrimination.

Still, there is no denying that BriteTab in on the right track in terms of providing job seekers with an additional and valuable tool to add to their job-search arsenal. I can only hope that the rest of the world catches up.

Still…am I wrong to be so suspicious?

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