Basically, racial bias is a belief – a conscious or unconscious prejudice (pre-judging).  Racism is what happens when that belief translates into action. 

Racial bias is the belief that inherent differences among racial groups determine individual and cultural achievement.  It involves the belief that one’s own race is superior to, and has the right to dominate, other groups.  

Those beliefs then show up in individual behavior (personal racism) and are built into our organizations and communities (systemic or structural racism).

There is a difference, but the terms are often used interchangeably.  The terms are also defined a bit differently in different sources.  One useful difference is the following:

• Systemic racism refers to whole systems that support racism – health, education, criminal justice, financial/wealth.  These systems combine to support racism across society.  
• Structural racism refers to the elements of structure that support systemic racism – laws, policies, processes, practices, behavioral norms, beliefs and ideologies, etc.  All of the structural elements combine in different ways to support the systems.  

They can also be seen defining organizations and institutions, often called institutional racism.  And – structural racism also develops and supports personal racism.

One way to look at it is that the different systems support racism – and the elements of structural racism support the systems.  Most of the work to counter racism will focus on structural racism in order to bring about the changes that will combine to change the various systems.  That will also make it much easier to counter personal racism.  

Personal racism is based on the beliefs, attitudes and actions of an individual that support racism – whether conscious or unconscious.  Personal racism is reinforced by systemic or structural racism and, in turn, maintains racist systems and structures.

See the section on White Privilege

White privilege is a set of benefits granted to those of us who, by race, resemble those who dominate the power positions in our institutions.  It is greater access to power and resources as well as supporting our daily quality of life.  It’s a built-in advantage for White people because we are White.  

Having White privilege is not an option.  We didn’t ask for it.  It’s simple – We can’t not get the privileges and we can’t just give them away.   

Most of us  go through life unaware of being white or that it matters.  Privilege is hard to see for those of us who were born with it.  It’s obvious to others.  

We have white privilege even if disadvantaged in other ways – gender, sexual identification, physical.  We still have the privilege of race.  We are not removed from the privileged group.

There are Two Different Forms of White Privilege  This is critical.  These two forms of White privilege are profoundly different and require very different approaches.

• Personal White Privilege – Extend the advantages to others (advantages “with” vs. advantages “over”).  This is not a matter of White people giving up advantages, but rather a matter of White people fighting for others to enjoy the same advantages in daily life.

• Systemic/Structural White Privilege  – This is a challenge to “right the wrongs” that have been centuries in the making and change the structures, systems, and norms that fundamentally disadvantage Black people.  Systemic or structural White Privilege does advantage White people “over” Black people and White people will have to give up some advantages.  However, the advantages that we will need to give up in “righting the wrongs” are small in comparison to the opportunities that can open up for Black people. 

See the section on White Privilege

Racism has been built into every facet of American life over 500 years.  It’s in our culture, our corporate and governmental structures, policies, and norms, it’s in our legal system, our educational systems, etc.  

The outcomes we see in terms of wealth, education, involvement in the criminal justice system, health status, careers, etc. result from the designs of our organizations and communities over the centuries.  The results have been produced by organizations and communities perfectly designed over time to produce them.  How could it be any other way?

Individuals have responsibility for the choices they make, but those choices are made and influenced within our communities and organizations – and that influence is the real power.  The greatest challenge is organization and community design – designing organizations and communities that get the desired outcomes.

Black racism has been a central issue for America since its founding.  It splits the country – we fought a civil war over it and still are in some ways.  Most of the principles, solutions, strategies and “asks” of people are common across issues of diversity.  Significant sustained progress in countering Black racism will affect other areas of diversity in the process.  We can redeploy learnings and resources gained in countering Black racism, just as we can learn from efforts to counter other forms of oppression.  This site is simply focused on White people countering racism.   

“There is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we do not lead single issue lives.”

Audre Lord 

Implicit Bias:  the attitudes or stereotypes that we hold in the unconscious parts of our brain.  Our implicit or unconscious biases influence our thinking, feeling and behaviors toward individuals or groups – out of our conscious control.  Our implicit biases are not just about race.  They include ethnicity, gender, appearance, political affiliation, socio-economic status, etc.

1. Everyone has them
2. Not all unconscious biases are negative
3. They have real world effects on our behavior
4. They exist outside our control
5. They guide how we respond without our knowing it
6. They may not match our conscious values, thoughts, and feelings (having unconscious biases does not mean that we are consciously prejudiced)
7. They are pervasive and powerful
8. They are something we learn starting at a very young age
9. They usually favor our own group(s)
10. Negative associations with Black people have been wired in over

  hundreds of years

11. They are malleable, which means that we can change them
12. Change requires time, attention, effort, and repetition

How Do We Counter Implicit Bias?

The primary way is to #1 search for our implicit biases and bring them to our conscious awareness where we can deal with them; and #2 replace them.  This puts us in charge and decreases the unconscious influence.

#1  Identify the Stereotype

Recognizing that a response is based on a stereotype, labeling it as stereotypic (implicit bias), and reflecting on where it came from – become aware of the stereotypes you hold

• Being aware in the moment – catch the reaction and …
• Reflecting – think back about reactions and…

#2  Replace the Stereotype

• Counter-stereotypic Imaging – remember or imagine someone from the stereotyped group that does not fit the stereotype
• Seeing the Individual – get to know the person or group and understand their nature and reality – see each person as an individual, not just a member of a group
• Perspective Taking – imagine yourself being a member of the other group – “walk a mile in their shoes.”
• Contact – spend time in contact with the group. Work on feeling increasingly comfortable doing that.  Find safe spaces to engage.
• Managing Self – reflect on your negative reactions in the moment and see what positive responses might be possible. Keep your mind on the present moment and be aware of your reactions and surroundings.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion are mutually reinforcing principles.  Diversity of a workforce alone is not sufficient.  It also requires Inclusion – a sense of belonging – and Equity – a sense of fairness.  It is the combination that makes the difference and each needs to be pursued strategically.

Diversity emphasizes the need for representation of groups that are systematically underrepresented.  Diversity is the presence of differences that enrich a workplace.  Those differences can range from race, gender, and sexual orientation to ethnicity, socio-economic status, and age.  Those are just examples. 

Equity promotes justice and fairness in an organization’s various policies, processes, systems, culture, etc.  It can be heavily focused on HR, but it needs to be embedded throughout the organization.  Equity is ensuring that diverse individuals have the access, resources, and opportunities to succeed and develop within the organization.

Note.  Equity (vs. equality) acknowledges that not all people and communities are starting from the same place due to current and historic systems and norms.  Equity means providing different types and levels of support based on the needs of an individual or group to achieve fairness.

Inclusion means creating an environment of belonging.  This is an environment where employees feel respected, valued, connected, and supported.  It is an environment that encourages them to reach their full potential and provides the avenues to do so.

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From the standpoint of a moral case, you either believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion as basic principles or you don’t.  The business case can be argued, but there is increasing evidence that there is a significant advantage for organizations that successfully pursue DEI.  And the better they do at DEI, the greater the competitive advantage.  It varies by industry, but the basic pattern is shared.

Some of the basic advantages include higher levels of employee performance, greater ability to innovate, a larger talent pool, higher rates of retention, greater employee engagement, and better decision-making. 

For example, McKinsey discovered over the course of several years that the top quartile of gender diversity on executive teams outperformed peers in the 4^th quartile by 15% in 2014, 21% in 2017, and 25% in 2019. 

The Boston Consulting Group studied 1700 companies across 8 countries and found similar outcomes.  They found a statistically significant relationship between diversity and innovation outcomes in all countries.  Companies with above average total diversity achieved 19% higher innovation revenues and 9% EBIT margins.

Deloitte found that when employees saw their organizations as committed to diversity and inclusion they reported better business performance in terms of innovation (83%), responsiveness to changing customer needs (31%) and team collaboration (42%)

There are numerous other studies with similar findings, but the field is still young.  However, the basic direction is clear.  DEI, when done well, does provide a significant competitive advantage in a number of key areas.

Microaggressions are the everyday subtle – and often unintentional – slights, insults, putdowns, and invalidations that communicate some kind of bias toward historically marginalized groups.  The difference between microaggressions and overt racism, is that when people commit microaggressions they might not even be aware of them – and their impact.  However, microaggressions are rooted in bias, whether conscious or not.

Examples:

• “When I see you, I don’t see color.” (Communicates that I don’t acknowledge your Blackness)
• “We are all one race.” (Communicates that your experience as a Black person is the same as mine as a White person)
• “Everyone can succeed in America if they work hard enough.” (Communicates that lesser outcomes for Black people are because of laziness or lack of intelligence or competence)
• Eye rolling when someone mentions feeling invalidated.
• Following someone around a store because I think they’re going to steal something.
• Crossing the street to avoid contact with Black man or group of Black teenagers.
• Ordering food for an event without considering dietary preferences or restrictions.

Note.  Other under-represented groups also experience microaggressions, but the focus here is on microaggressions and Black people.

It’s Not an Issue of Overreaction

The whole issue of microaggressions can be annoying to White people and it’s easy to write them off as Black people being overly sensitive.  But microaggressions hurt.  They invalidate and diminish.  A single microaggression may not wound in and of itself, but it will hit an already open wound because Black people have experienced thousands of microaggressions in their lives – as well as more overt racism.

“I Didn’t Mean it that Way”

Most microaggressions aren’t conscious attempts to put someone or a group down.  When I commit a microaggression it doesn’t mean that I’m a racist or immoral person.  It’s probable that I didn’t even know that I had a negative impact on someone because I didn’t mean to.  But I did diminish someone, and not meaning to or being unaware of it is irrelevant.  What is relevant is what I’m going to do about it. 

Responding to Committing a Microaggression

I can stop, be open to accepting it, figure out where it came from, and make amends as needed.  Personally, it’s a chance for me to become more self-aware, smarter, and more in charge of living according to my values.  I don’t need to beat myself up or feel bad about myself.  I just need to avoid a defensive reaction and go after the challenge.  I can turn a microaggression into a significant addition to my ability to be the kind of person I want to be.