1. COMBATING YOUR OWN BIAS We all have them, so what do we do now?
Helen Bariamichael- Interfaith Housing Assistance Corporation
Leticia Leal- City Heights Community Development Corporation

2. Game TIME

3. Overview TODAY WE WILL:
Define what a (Implicit) bias is and why it matters
We will identify your biases
Acknowledge some of the ways your bias may affect your work in the community
Troubleshoot ways to consciously identify your bias
Agree or Disagree Activity
Discuss how to engage and create an inclusive and unbiased community
Reflect on what we’ve learned

4. Bias Defined
“An implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner”
Biases can range from things like sports teams and ice cream to the color of ones skin and who one may be attracted to.

5. Your bias matters
“The split second decisions that we make can have a profound impact on individuals, their families, their communities, and society as a whole, thus making it critical for us to really understand those unconscious or implicit biases”

6. Shirley SHerroD
“In 2010, Shirley Sherrod (Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture) was fired from her position with the Department of Agriculture after a politically conservative blog selectively edited a speech of hers to make it sound as if she was biased against white people”

7. Consciously identifying our biases
Agree or Disagree?

8. What did you think about that activity?
How did it make you feel?
Did it make you aware of a bias you didn’t know you had or realize was a bias?
Any other thoughts?

9. Identifying biases Review your internal conversation
Don’t be exclusive
Develop a core value system
Change your Lens

10. REVIEW your internal conversation
Ask yourself how you are basing decisions. Are they quick judgements you are making or are you using measurable information?
Take a minute to understand what is coming from your personal understanding of something/someone.
i.e. remembering your worldview and how you outlook has been shaped
For example, in the workplace, this may be how you analyze who it is that you trust

11. Don’t be exclusive Seek out diversity and with purpose!
Giving your attention and time to those who look like you in terms of age, gender, race or academia reinforces unconscious bias.
Take a look at your community
Powerful question from A

12. Develop a core value system
This value system should focus on fair treatment and respect for others. A basic human right, but one that we can often forget or overlook in the heat and pressure of daily life.

13. Change your lens
Ted Talk

14. GOOD NEWS!
Research has shown that implicit biases are not permanent, they are malleable and can be changed by devoting:
1) Intention
2) Attention
3) Time to developing new associations

15. Intention
Transformational change- Transformational change is a systems approach, deriving its power by attending equally to hearts & minds (the inner life of human beings), human behavior, and the social systems and structures in which they exist. It therefore tends to be multi-disciplinary, integrating a range of approaches and methodologies. BE THE CHANGE
Make the connection between your own personal values and beliefs and your organizations mission and how that affects the work you do
Be mindful of the values and beliefs of those that you serve so that the impact of your work is much more intentional and received by your residents
Identify the things that you unknowingly are bias toward
For example: Do you tend to gravitate to people of a similar ethnicity, work with children that have a similar story to your own, or engage families that have children, etc.

16. ATTENTION
Be aware of each interaction that you have with someone in your day to day
Think about your tone, thoughts, and feelings when engaging with each person
Be aware of your body language and facial expressions
Be conscious of your personal values and views and how they may influence your judgment and service to people you work with
Acknowledge when you are wrong and/or may have offended someone

17. How to develop new associations
Become aware of your own biases and own them
Make some connections with people who don’t look like you
Use your position to consciously establish equity among those that you serve
Intentionally and deliberately engage in non bias conversations
Get involved with diverse groups to learn and create a new normal for yourself and share it with others

18. The challenges OF bias in the workplace
Things to ask yourself:
Are you providing services in a way that caters to a diverse demographic? or is it engaging one specific race?
Do I approach every household with the same intention?
Are there ways in which my actions can be perceived as bias?
Do I favor interactions with certain people? Why do I avoid interactions with others?
Is there someone who I observe engages with me differently than others?

19. What we’ve learned to address biases in the workplace
How do you feel more equipped to provide services in a way that caters to a diverse demographic?
What is something you can do as an individual to create and engage an unbiased culture with your colleagues?
Anything else you want to share with the group?

20. Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_-OAMTGBys
mining%20Our%20Unconscious%20Bias.pdf
Bias Assessments