NEW YORK�Over the last decade the names of major companies sued for racial discrimination reads like a "Who�s Who" of American business: Texaco in 1996, settlement $176 million; Shoney�s in 1993, a $132 million settlement; Winn-Dixie Stores in 1999, settlement $33 million. In early January, Microsoft�s name surfaced as attorneys sought class action status for a $5 billion racial bias lawsuit against the computer software giant.

Recently analysts are asking, does the rash of lawsuits create a disincentive for hiring women and minorities? Some critics claim the lawsuits could make firms more leery of hiring Blacks. They cite the rise in companies applying for employment insurance that provides up to $50 million in coverage for compensatory damages, settlements, legal fees and related costs.

Proponents of racial bias lawsuits say some employers who have been sued continue to increase "minority hires" years after settling discrimination claims. Shoney officials say the number of "minority" managers at the company grew from 14.5 percent in 1993 to 38.9 percent in 2000.

Whether that is true or not, says Catalyst, a New York-based research advisory group, the problem of discrimination has not gone away. "Minority women are more than twice as likely as white women to say there�s been no change in advancement opportunities in the past five years," the research group found in a 1999 study.

National Urban League President Hugh Price told The Final Call that as corporations move increasingly towards diversity they will have to learn to treat all people with dignity. He and others argue that as America�s racial make-up changes, companies must embrace fair hiring not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is good business.

"There are going to be lawsuits until the rules of the game are straightened out and the playing field is leveled," predicts Mr. Price.

When asked if Blacks and Latinos will back away from corporate America because of racism, he said they shouldn�t and can�t afford to. "We have to keep pushing forward and send waves and waves of our people at the barricades of opportunity," Mr. Price said.

There are apparently still some hurdles to equal opportunity. Racial bias charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission jumped from 10,000 in the 1980s to nearly 50,000 in the 1990s.

But that fact did not deter the many Black professionals who attended the Rainbow/ Push Coalition�s Wall Street Project 4th Annual Conference in New York City Jan. 23-26.

The meeting itself could be metaphor for striking an uneasy balance: It is a showcase for companies looking to tout their commitment to diversity, or can help shore up the image of firms with problems. At the same time, it exposes business sectors where racial barriers still exist. Using both a carrot and a stick that, hopefully, yields change for Black businesses, suppliers and personnel, say its supporters.

Many of the conference attendees told The Final Call they came for a chance to grab a brass ring on their career carousel. They were leery of being too critical of major corporations.

A young Black man from Santa Fe, Calif., spoke to The Final Call on condition of anonymity. He had come to get help finding a job with a Silicon Valley technology company. "It�s okay to go to work for a Cisco (a major technology firm) and work up the ranks, enabling you to bring in people of your ethnicity to that job so that they too can become managers and CEOs," he said.

Others echoed the young man�s sentiments, saying that they don�t plan to step back from working in corporate America. "Where else is there to go?" they asked. But they also feel corporations should accept workers from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. In fact, nearly two-thirds of college students in a poll said they believe it is important to work for an organization that values diversity.

That data came from a survey of approximately 800 college and university students from around the world conducted at an annual International Intern Leadership Conference held in 2000.

The Wall St. Project participants did not say corporate racism was not a problem. They did say fear or a record of racial problems would not stop them from seeking jobs.

There isn�t any need for workers to stay away from companies that have been sued for bias, argues Suzanne Lasky, manager of Customer Fulfillment at PRISM International, located in Orlando, Fla. The company does strategic consulting, assessments, training and evaluates how businesses cope with the racial mix in their workforces.

"I find that companies that we work with, Texaco, Master Card International, IBM and Dennys, are not backing away from their commitment to diversity," she said, adding, "These corporations are continuing to invest in programs that will increase their understanding of the diverse workforces they employ. We see nothing on the horizon that this will change."

A few ardent defenders of corporations even call discrimination a rare incident. But with figures showing Blacks on average earn 78 percent of the wages of white counterparts; the unemployment rate typically double for Blacks when compared to whites; and white men holding most of the highest level positions, race is a stark reality in the workplace.

"There�s nothing you can really do to explain to the critics the vicious hate and pain of racism. They must don the skin of a Black man or woman and deal with the slights�some overt�that rob you of your spirit and will to compete," George Eddings of Houston, who was involved in the class action suit against Coca-Cola, told reporters last year. Coca-Cola, a major Wall St. Project sponsor, settled a major job bias case in November for almost $200 million.