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BIASED
Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think,…
BIASED
Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do
By Jennifer L. Eberhardt, PhD
IMPLICIT BIAS
Implicit bias is not a new way of calling someone a racist. Infact, you don't have to be a racist at all to be influenced by it. Implicit bias is a kind of distorting lens that's a product of both the architecture of our brain and the disparities in our society.
We all have ideas about race, even the most open minded among us. Those ideas have the power to bias our perception, our attention, our memory, and our actions- all despite our conscious awareness or deliberate intentions.
CATEGORIZATION
The sort of categorization that allows such broad generalizations to somehow seem reasonable is a product not only of our personal experience and social messaging but also of our evolution as human beings.
It is a universal function of the brain that allows us to organize and manage the overload of stimuli that constantly bombard us. It's a system that brings coherence to a chaotic world.
Categorization can also impede our efforts to embrace and understand people who are deemed not like us.
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RESIDENTIAL DIVIDE
The federal government played a direct and deliberate role in creating segregated spaces... those government practices were supported and reinforced by local laws and customs that allowed segregations's reach to extend to schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, and parks.
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The residue of those discriminatory practices lingers today, fueling stereotypes that seed the stigma attached to black people and black places. Research has shown the power of those stereotypes to shape one of the most fundamental decisions of our lives: where we make our homes.
BIAS IN EDUCATION
This is a story about a young black student attending an otherwise all-white private school. The black student had the tips of his hair dyed blonde and was asked by the school administration to cut the tips off or dye them back to their natural color because the dress code stated "no dyed or colored hair."
The student knew that many of his white, female classmates came to school everyday with blonde highlights and felt singled out. His parents went and spoke with the administrator.
The administrator at first did not think she was singling out the black student, but instead, enforcing the rules. However, the administrator listened to the black parents explain the situation from their son's perspective.
"Harlan was asserting his blackness at an all-white school. That's what diversity is supposed to be about. And when the response to that impulse is a threat to discipline him, that makes him feel as if his only choice is to be invisible; his real self has no value at school."
"The idea that she has inadvertently wounded Harlan really upset her (the administrator)."
She promised to talk to Harlan. She told him she was sorry and she hadn't seen the broader context. She said she was open to revisiting the school policy. She even asked Harlan whether he was interested in playing a role as she reconsidered the hair code.
Her actions were a model for how teachers and school administrators should approach difficult conversations about race; with honesty and an open heart.
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