Today’s Topic: Implicit Bias
Implicit bias: when we have attitudes (preference or aversion) toward people, or associate stereotypes with them without our conscious knowledge. Implicit bias is NOT racism.
Option #1 Read & reflect:
“When someone says peanut butter I think jelly, because that’s a connection that’s been ingrained in me. Throughout my life peanut butter and jelly have been together. And in many forms of media there is an overrepresentation of black men and violent crime being paired together.”
Have you ever had someone make an automatic judgement about you that turned out to be wrong?
Do you think you ever make automatic assumptions of judgement about other people? Can you think of/share an example?
If you are hesitant to take steps to “break the prejudice habit”…why do you think that is?
OPTION #2 Read the following quote
“But America insists on reminding me and teaching me what it means to be black...[I] get out my identification, car registration, lay it out in the open, roll down the window, my hands are placed on the steering wheel, all before the officer exits the car. This how to stay alive.”
What was your reaction to the above experience?
Have you ever been made aware of your own implicit bias, for better or worse?
FAMILIES: Ways to reduce racial implicit bias in children:
Expose children to positive images of other racial groups (tv shows, books, etc.)
Help your kids develop cross-group friends
Cultivate cross-ground friendships yourself
Talk explicitly about race and the effects of racism
Work to combat negative biases in yourself
Additional Resources:
Implicit Bias: Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism by PBS What is implicit bias? NYT/POV's Saleem Reshamwala unscrews the lid on the unfair effects of our subconscious.
Implicit Bias Explained by Perception Institute. Implicit bias is a universal phenomenon, not limited by race, gender, or even country of origin. Take this test to see how it works for you: Implicit Bias Test
Five Ways to Reduce Racial Bias in Children by Greater Good Magazine/Julie Suttie. How do we combat racial prejudice? New research reveals how parents influence the formation of bias in children