Each of us holds some form of bias, whether we know it or not. In a lot of circumstances, we are not aware of the implicit biases that we may hold. These biases can be shaped by misinformed perceptions and through media that has embedded stereotypes into our culture, and eventually to our subconscious minds. Although each of us may hold a form of implicit bias, we can change the narrative in our psyche by being intentional about acknowledging our biases.
Resources
This page from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory explains two different types of biases and offers the FLEX approach to addressing our own biases.
The Harvard Implicit Association Test is a test of quick responses to a series of words and pictures; the test measures response time to the computer images as a proxy for implicit bias. Many, including those who are major researchers in the field of implicit bias and who have committed themselves to work for civil rights, equality, and diversity, find the bias reflected by their scores to be surprising and troubling.
This article from the National Equity Project explains that making progress on equity will require us to both mitigate our own biases and change structures.
This short video from Devex, an international development organization, provides some actions to address our own bias.
Reflection
Can you share an example of recognizing and addressing your own bias?
Which resource did you choose to explore today and what did you take from it?