Eip Draft 1 Revisions

French
Nailah French
Professor Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1104
9 November 2017
Not to be Racist, but
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness.
-Thomas Jefferson et al., The Declaration of
Independence
America: the land of the free and the home of the brave, where, as stated in the
Nailah French 12/5/2017 10:06 PM
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Declaration of Independence, all men are created equal. A brotherhood; where everyone
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is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, historically speaking, America
has never upheld these truths as self-evident. Although the foundation of America
consists of the notion of the American dream, along with freedom and unalienable rights,
the reality is quite different. How could we expect otherwise when declarations of
freedom were drafted whilst slavery existed? The road to true equality, in America, has
been lengthy and tumultuous. Many Americans believe true equality was executed during
the Civil Rights movement. Nevertheless, is this an actuality? There is the common belief
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that racism is an issue of Americas past. Whether it was proven by Civil Rights or
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supported by the election of President Barack Obama, many Americans believe that the
truths, proposed by Thomas Jefferson, are a reality. This idea is most supported by white
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Americans. Nevertheless, this concept is far from the truth. Racial bias is prevalent in
modern day America. It is simply displayed differently.
Bias is defined as prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group
compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair (Dictionary.com).
Everyone is subject to having them. Biases can be simple or complex. Our biases could
be apparent and conscious: explicit. Dangerously, our biases can be unconscious as well.
Unconscious biases affect us differently because they are implicit. We are unaware of
how unconscious biases shape our behaviors.
Racial bias is a prejudice in regards to ones racial group. Despite being a social
construct, race affects daily life. It influences the first impressions we make, how people
are talked to, and how people are treated. Race affects societys expectations of people.
Race affects peoples future pay rate, jobs, and housing opportunities. The influence of
race is apparent, regardless of the message that it is not a factor.
In a study conducted in a college psychology class in New Jersey, students were
shown a video exploring the prevalence of racial bias (Jane). The video displayed two
young men who were similar in dress, appearance, grooming and speech. They both just
moved to town. Nevertheless, John was white and Glen was black. Video cameras
recorded major discrepancies in their treatment as they conducted the same tasks. When
searching for housing, Glen was told there were no vacancies. Yet, John was given a key
and invited to explore an apartment. At a car dealership, Glen was quoted a higher price
and less favorable financing than John.
After viewing the video, the students discussed their reactions. The African
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American and Latino students were not surprised by what they were shown. Asian
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American students agreed but were less vocal. Nevertheless, most of the white students
reacted differently. Although they acknowledged the discrepancies between the treatment
of John and Glen, they still believed racism was an issue of the past. They simplified the
issue to not visiting enough agencies, stating that the men did not visit enough places to
thoroughly evaluate racial bias. They also blamed the region. Although this issue may
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occur in America, they did not believe it was an issue within their community (Jane).
There are constant discrepancies in the perception of racism in America.
Recently, stories pertaining to racial biases such as Black Lives Matter, taking a knee,
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and police brutality flood the news. In society, there is continuous mismatch between the
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perceived experiences of various racial groups. Most noticeably, white Americans and
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minority groups have differences of opinions in reference to racial prejudice in America.
Minority groups tend to see racial bias as a current issue. This may be due to the
differences in experiences. Unaware, white Americans may underestimate the privilege
that they possess solely by being white. Additionally, white Americans may be unaware
that their truths are not identical to those around them. White Americans: your reality is
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different than mine.
My Reality
Despite being self-aware at a young age, I never came face to face with racism. I
was aware that prejudice existed. I was aware that there were people in the world who
disliked me, solely because of the color of my skin. Nevertheless, racism remained a
concept. I was aware, but I was not around it. Racism also had an imaginary face. It was
hateful. It had an expression of disgust, anger, and fear. It was a theory, until it was a
reality. It was an enemy, until it came from a friend.

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He called my name, loudly, drunkenly. I stopped. What are you doing tonight?
Come to this party with me! I was a little anxious. Although we were friends, I didnt
know his friends and he was already drunk at 9 pm. Where? He named a fraternity, one
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I never heard of. But wait. I have to text them and make sure its okay to bring a black
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girl. I felt my stance stiffen. My gaze deepened, then softened. Why would you invite
me somewhere without being sure that I was welcome? Why would you go somewhere
that black people may not be welcomed? I yelled at him. I felt sad. Disrespected.
Unwanted. I returned to my room, glad to be in bed. Two hours later, my phone lit up. A
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text, from him. They said it was cool! You should come! The words sprawled across
my screen. I stared. The question would not have been proposed if I were white. The
need for this confirmation would not have existed if I were white. But I am not. People
are unconcerned with my discomfort. He was ignorant to how this situation made me
feel. His priority was to make sure that those in the fraternity were not uncomfortable by
me. Uncomfortable by my presence. I tried to laugh it off. I couldnt. If these were the
comments said directly to me, what was discussed in my absence?
This would have affected me differently if I were White. It may not have even
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occurred. Yet, it showed me that the main people who do not see the prevalence of racism were white. Or frankly, it
are the ones unaffected by it. The people who claim not to see color are the very ones Deleted: Yet, i
asking their friends if they can bring a black woman to their party. The irony.
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The Name Game
Racial biases begin with information as trivial as ones name. This bias is
apparent for people of all ages. According to The Huffington Post, students with black-
sounding names are more likely to be labeled by teachers as troublemakers. . Likewise,

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job applicants with such names are less likely than white-sounding counterparts for
job interview callbacks. This is in spite of these applicants having essentially
identical resumes. Residents with black-sounding names are also less likely to
receive a response when contacting government officials about schools or public
libraries.
Names also affect how one is presumed to be physically. In a study of
predominantly white participants, men with black-sounding names were imagined
to be physically large. They were also assumed to be dangerous and violent. This
was not the assumption of those with white-sounding names. This phenomenon is
not exclusive to black people. Those with names that indicate Latino descent also
had violent attributions. These expectations mirror the societal fear of black and
Latino men. Nevertheless, this irrationality often tends to cause black and Latino
men to be victims of violence. This is shown with instances of police brutality and
other racially charged crimes in America. A notable case is that of Trayvon Martin.
Despite being unarmed, the 17 year old was fatally shot by neighborhood watchman
who viewed Trayvon as a threat. Trayvon was walking in a black hoodie, wearing a
backpack, speaking on the phone. Although Trayvon was not posing a threat, he was
viewed as threatening due to the societal fear of black men, along with his clothing.
Racial bias also causes an expectation in regards to ones socioeconomic
status. The larger in size a black man was imagined to be, the lower his financial
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success and social status were assumed. Although white characters could also be
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imagined as violent, it did not affect their imagined prestige. Ultimately, there are deemed as more violent.
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numerous ways that racial bias can affect expectations, even when only given
minimal information such as a name.
Children Are Biased Too
Children have unconscious biases too. In a video uploaded by CNN, a
interviewer researches the prominence of racial bias in children. The interviewer
shows children various situational images and asks them a series of questions.
These images depict situations between two races. One image is a white teenager
checking her pockets. Behind her, a black teenager is picking money off of the
ground. The interviewer asks the participant, a teenage white female, to describe
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the scenario. The participant states that the girl picking up the money is stealing it.
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When asked if the two girls could possibly be friends, the participant responds no.
Not if her parents know about the situation of her stealing the money. They may be
concerned that Erica (the black teenager in the image) is a thief. Another image is
shown. This time, the scenario is depicted in reverse. The white teenager is picking
up the money and the black teenager is checking her pockets. When the interviewer
asks the participant to describe the scenario, the participant responds, I think she is
going to return the money. She looks like a sweet girl. When asked if the participant
believed that the two teens in the image would be friends, she stated that they
would be.
The participants answers were contradictory to her responses from the
previous image. Nevertheless, the only difference between the images was the role
of the teens. One image, the black teen was picking up the money. The other image,
the white teen was picking up the money. Researchers believe that this
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demonstrated unconscious racial bias in children (defined as anyone under the age
of 18). This trend was true for 24% of children in this study, despite their race. They
tended to see their own race in a more positive way than the other. This occurred
across all ages, all school types, and all racial backgrounds.
Your Brain Has Bias

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Racial bias occurs on a neurological level as well. According to Baker et al.,
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when seeing someone of another race receiving a painful touch, viewers were less
empathic than when seeing someone their race receiving a painful touch. This racial
bias in empathic responses may stem from standard in-group/out-group bias.
People are more likely to feel empathy for people who are like them and lack
empathy for those unlike them. Race cannot be ignored. It is automatically evaluated
when attempting to process a face (Baker et al.). This may be due to the varying
features of various races such as color, shape and size.
People may be more empathic for those that are their same race due to other
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factors as well. As humans, we are naturally more attuned to the emotions of people 0.5"
who are like us. We are also generally more familiar with people of our own race.
This may facilitate the recognition of facial expressions. Additionally, the results of
the test may differ based on ones comfort level with various races. Overall, this
racial bias that may be demonstrated by neural responses do not always reflect how
one will behave. This supports the notion that unconscious racial bias exists.
However, they may not necessarily be acted upon.
Yes, Youre Racist

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Everyone has the ability to be racially biased. Implicit bias is especially
difficult to identify at times. Nevertheless, there are some trends in ways that
implicit bias is displayed through narrative and behaviors. Picture your three closest
friends. Chances are, they are all the same race as you. The trend of lack of friend
diversity is especially prevalent amongst White Americans. Younger whites are
almost twice as likely as Latinos and black Americans to state that they socialize
within their own race (CNN).

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Lack of diversity is also prevalent amongst white Americans as they choose a
place to live. According to the CNN/Kaiser poll, 69% of whites stated that they live
amongst their same race. In comparison, Latinos stated they predominantly live
around other races (59%) and blacks were split with 51% stating that they live
around other races and 41% stating that they live amongst their own race.
Do you have a black friend? Another characteristic of implicit bias is the
trend of a persons social identity becoming a central aspect of who they are (CNN).
This may be difficult to link to unconscious bias since labeling someone is an explicit
process. Nevertheless, it is rare to hear someone describe his or her straight white
friend. Labels tend to become relevant in regards to minority groups.
Hope
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The first step towards change is realizing the issue. Due to many Americans
being unaware of their biases, society has not been extremely progressive.
Nevertheless, finding ways to acknowledge signs of racial bias may help diminish its
prevalence. There are ways to uncover implicit bias. Tests such as the Implicit Bias
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Tests look for unconscious racial associations. Additionally, there are various outlets
that discuss racial bias and ways to combat it.
Ultimately, the best way to combat racial bias is to gain knowledge and to
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remain self-aware. It is also important to hold yourself, and loved ones, accountable
for their actions. People may be unaware of their implicit biases. Therefore, these
biases may affect their behaviors without their knowledge. Discussing tough topics
such as racial bias is crucial to diminishing its prevalence in society. Silence adds
fuel to the fire.


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Works Cited
Baker, Katherine, et al. Racial Bias in Neural Empathic Responses to Pain. Plos One.
12 August 2013. Accessed 7 November 2017.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084
001&type=printable
Connor, Jane. Studying Racial Bias: Too Hot to Handle? National Center for Case
Study Teaching in Science, 28 Jan. 2000, Accessed 7 November 2017.
http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/files/racial_bias.pdf
Grinberg, Emanuella. 4 ways you might be displaying hidden bias in everyday life.
CNN, 25 November 2015. Accessed 6 December 2017.

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http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/24/living/implicit-bias-tests-
feat/index.html
Howard, Jacqueline. New Study Confirms Depressing Truth About Names And
Racial Bias. Huffington Post, 8 Oct. 2015, Accessed 7 November 2017.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-sounding-names-
study_us_561697a5e4b0dbb8000d687f
Subconscious racial bias in children. YouTube, uploaded by CNN, 6 Apr, 2012,
Accessed 7 November 2017 .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFbvBJULVnc

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French

Professor Malcolm Campbell

Not to be Racist, but

the pursuit of Happiness.

-Thomas Jefferson et al., The Declaration of

modern day America. It is simply displayed differently.

Bias is defined as prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group

compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair (Dictionary.com).

how unconscious biases shape our behaviors.

race is apparent, regardless of the message that it is not a factor.

In a study conducted in a college psychology class in New Jersey, students were

and less favorable financing than John.

There are constant discrepancies in the perception of racism in America.

differences in experiences. Unaware, white Americans may underestimate the privilege

reality. It was an enemy, until it came from a friend.

comments said directly to me, what was discussed in my absence?

sounding names are more likely to be labeled by teachers as troublemakers. . Likewise,

job interview callbacks. This is in spite of these applicants having essentially

receive a response when contacting government officials about schools or public

Names also affect how one is presumed to be physically. In a study of

predominantly white participants, men with black-sounding names were imagined

Racial bias also causes an expectation in regards to ones socioeconomic

minimal information such as a name.

Children Are Biased Too

Children have unconscious biases too. In a video uploaded by CNN, a

interviewer researches the prominence of racial bias in children. The interviewer

The participants answers were contradictory to her responses from the

Your Brain Has Bias

bias in empathic responses may stem from standard in-group/out-group bias.

features of various races such as color, shape and size.

However, they may not necessarily be acted upon.

Yes, Youre Racist

Everyone has the ability to be racially biased. Implicit bias is especially

diversity is especially prevalent amongst White Americans. Younger whites are

within their own race (CNN).

Do you have a black friend? Another characteristic of implicit bias is the

friend. Labels tend to become relevant in regards to minority groups.

that discuss racial bias and ways to combat it.

fuel to the fire.

12 August 2013. Accessed 7 November 2017.

Study Teaching in Science, 28 Jan. 2000, Accessed 7 November 2017.

CNN, 25 November 2015. Accessed 6 December 2017.

Racial Bias. Huffington Post, 8 Oct. 2015, Accessed 7 November 2017.

Subconscious racial bias in children. YouTube, uploaded by CNN, 6 Apr, 2012,

Accessed 7 November 2017 .

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