Even stereotypes that seem to portray a group positively reduce individuals to categories and tell an inaccurate “single story.”
Unconscious biases, meaning preconceptions that we do not consciously or knowingly acknowledge, is more difficult to recognize and combat, but fear not, it is possible!
Implicit bias can be curtailed in a variety of ways, mostly by exposing one’s self to examples that contradict the bias. When we see images and read stories that reflect positively on a specific group, that can reduce a bias we might have had. Relationships between people of different races and ethnic groups have been shown to have a more lasting effect on reducing bias
Do you have implicit biases?
Project Implicit is a non-profit organization committed to challenging organizational and institutional disparities through data-driven research and education. The mission of Project Implicit is to educate the public about bias and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the internet. Project Implicit scientists produce high-impact research that forms the basis of our scientific knowledge about bias and disparities.
“Implicit bias is an automatic reaction we have towards other people. These attitudes and stereotypes can negatively impact our understanding, actions, and decision-making. The idea that we can hold prejudices we don’t want or believe was quite radical when it was first introduced, and the fact that people may discriminate unintentionally continues to have implications for understanding disparities in so many aspects of society, including but not limited to health care, policing, and education, as well as organizational practices like hiring and promotion.”
If you are interested, Harvard offers Implicit Association Tests
My results were 
I’m mildly disappointed but not surprised. I will work on this.
(This blog posts contains exerpts and ideas from Holocaust and Human Behavior Chapter 1 Readings 7 through 10)
