I was turned down, in the 1970’s, for a truck driving job with a major grocery wholesaler, due to AA.
The interviewer flat out told me he’d like to hire me on the spot, but had to fill 3 AA positions first. They hired 3.
#1 didn’t show up for the first day of work, #2 made 3 trips & quit, #3 showed up drunk, about 3 days in.
I found other employment in the mean time, so never went back.
In 1975 I went into a local headhunting firm here in Indianapolis after college. the man I was talking to told me bluntly that if I was black or even better a black woman, he could get me an interview with any Top 500 corporation in the country. But as white male his options were limited. He also told me if I ever told anybody that he’d deny it vehemently.