[fintstone]

I think in most cases, the desire to make money is the great equalizer. The problem is with entities run by government or nonprofit that simply do not focus on that. Outside of family, most folks (even racist) will simply hire/promote whomever will make them the most money. Sometimes this is situational. If you are selling in a predominantly minority area, a member of that minority might be more effective even if less skilled due to community ties, language, approachability, etc..

As far as accent, I personally was ridiculed for having a slight southern accent and speaking slowly when young (when working in other parts of the country). My vocabulary was also larger than most and I tended to use unusual words that were often laughed at. Southerners were always considered stupid because they spoke slowly and chose their words carefully. It almost always resulted in my being far underestimated and resulted in some crushing victories on my part over competitors. As noted, my accent was very mild (almost midwestern) and has lessened with age. In the end, speaking slowly and well has actually paid off for me. The ability to communicate well is a valuable skill in most lines of work.