Friday, October 2. Self-bias reflection

News of the Day: 

"Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" Trump, 74, tweeted.

Trump's doctor, Sean Conley, said, "The President and First Lady are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence."

The announcement immediately throws into question the nature of the remaining 32 days of the campaign, including the remaining two presidential debates. The next one is scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami.

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Assignment: reflecting upon the bias self-assessment should have given you pause to perhaps some biases you have.

1. Let's take a few minutes to look at ways we can squelch our biases.

2. Written reflection. In approximately 150 words, discuss one or more of the observations you took away from your self-assessment. Perhaps its origination? How it impacts your life? Your comfort level with what you understand now?  You might finish it in class; if not, send it to me by noon Sunday, so I have time to read / grade them.

Thank you.

Eight tactics to identify and reduce your implicit biases

Unconscious prejudices and negative attitudes toward certain groups of people can compromise good health care when those prejudices involve patients or make the clinical workplace more difficult. Research shows that these unspoken biases can be changed, but individuals must recognize that they have them in the first place.

These eight tactics, which spell out “IMPLICIT,” can help you mitigate your own implicit biases:

1. Introspection: Explore and identify your own prejudices by taking implicit association tests or through other means of self-analysis.

2. Mindfulness: Since you’re more likely to give in to your biases when you’re under pressure, practice ways to reduce stress and increase mindfulness, such as focused breathing.

3. Perspective-taking: Consider experiences from the point of view of the person being stereotyped. You can do this by reading or watching content that discusses those experiences or directly interacting with people from those groups.

4. Learn to slow down: Before interacting with people from certain groups, pause and reflect to reduce reflexive actions. Consider positive examples of people from that stereotyped group, such as public figures or personal friends.

5.Individuation: Evaluate people based on their personal characteristics rather than those affiliated with their group. This could include connecting over shared interests.

6. Check your messaging: As opposed to saying things like “we don’t see color,” use statements that welcome and embrace multiculturalism or other differences.

7. Institutionalize fairness: Support a culture of diversity and inclusion at the organizational level. This could include using an “equity lens” tool* to identify your group’s blind spots or reviewing the images in your office to see if they further or undercut stereotypes.

8. Take two: Resisting implicit bias is lifelong work. You have to constantly restart the process and look for new ways to improve.

*equity lens: 

The Equity and Empowerment Lens (with a racial justice focus) is a transformative quality improvement tool used to improve planning, decision-making, and resource allocation leading to more racially equitable policies and programs. At its core, it is a set of principles, reflective questions, and processes that focuses at the individual, institutional, and systemic levels by:

• deconstructing what is not working around racial equity;
• reconstructing and supporting what is working;
• shifting the way we make decisions and think about this work; and
• healing and transforming our structures, our environments, and ourselves.