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Written by Allie Barnes

We’re publishing this article during Black History Month, though it is not specifically about the holiday. If you’d like to learn more about Black History Month, here is a video by PBS Kids to explain the significance of the month.

The Healthy Humans Project Mission is “to empower individuals and families by helping them develop skills to create and maintain personal wellness and healthy relationships.” To create truly healthy relationships, we sometimes have to face difficult truths. That’s what we’re doing today.

Let’s talk about racism.

In 2020, racism came to the forefront of everyone’s minds in the United States—reflecting what many people already knew to be true: entire groups of people are experiencing discrimination. At this suggestion, a lot of other people—myself included—became defensive. Reactions included, “Black Lives Matter!” “All Lives Matter!” “Blue Lives Matter!” “I’m not racist!” and “#blackouttuesday,” amid a wave of “cancelling” people who perhaps were not responding as their followers had hoped they would.

I absolutely had a view on the matter, but mostly observed and listened—I knew I didn’t have the understanding or eloquence to say what I’d hope to say. I still don’t. But I do have a better understanding, and a lot of definitions!

The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines racism as “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” I used to view racism in a very clear cut way: Someone is either racist, or they are not. But as with many things, it’s not quite that simple.

I have since learned to break down racism into two categories: individual and systemic.

From there, I break down the “individual” category into two levels: racism, and bias. We’ve already touched on racism, so let’s look at unconscious (or implicit) bias.

Individual Implicit Bias

At the 2021 Davis County 3rd Annual Community Resilience Symposium, Dr. Susan Madsen offered the following definitions:

Unconscious: “Occurring below the level of conscious thought; not intended, planned, or realized.”

Bias: “A tendency, preference, opinion, or inclination that results in judgement without question (prejudice, stereotyping).”

Unconscious Bias: “Mental connections or associations without awareness, intention, or control.”

Implicit Bias: “A generally understood, implied, unconscious, and typically unspoken prejudice.”

*(I tend to use these terms interchangeably, but I believe that “implicit bias” assumes that there is at least some level of understanding, whereas unconscious bias is “without awareness.”)

As a human being, I have unconscious biases. WE ALL DO. Biases are often influenced by media, culture, or upbringing. We are influenced by what we see and consume, and often there is little we can do to completely control this influence—but we can practice awareness. When we recognize our biases, we can be more aware of them in our interactions with others in our families, communities, workplaces, and in any of our other relationships. When we are aware of them, we can also work to counter those biases (more on that later in the article).

Systemic Racism

At a systemic level, racism is built into the systems, organizations, and traditions that make up our society. This is often influenced by the bias—and sometimes blatant racism—of individuals. The book How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi specifically focuses on countering racist policies, otherwise known as “systemic racism,” “institutional racism,” or “structural racism.” He offers the following definitions:

Racist: “One who is supporting a racist policy through their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea.”

Antiracist: “One who is supporting an antiracist policy through actions or expressing an antiracist idea.”

Racial Inequity: “When two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing.”

*“Inequity” is defined by Oxford Language Dictionary as a “lack of fairness or justice.” To demonstrate racial inequity, Kendi shares the statistic that “71 percent of White families lived in owner-occupied homes in 2014, compared to 45% of Latinx families and 41 percent of Black families.”

Racist Policy: “Any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups.”

Kendi continues, “By policy, I mean written and unwritten laws, rules, procedures, processes, regulations, and guidelines that govern people. There is no such thing as a nonracist or race-neutral policy. Every policy in every institution in every community in every nation is producing or sustaining either racial inequity or equity between racial groups.”

In a Kennedy Center Lecture through Brigham Young University on February 3, 2021, Lori Spruance, an assistant professor of Public Health, stated that she takes time to research each policy before she votes on it, both at the local and national level. Many policies, she notes, do not seem blatantly racist, but still have aspects that may disadvantage certain groups. She shared about such a circumstance in Provo, Utah:

“In 2019, there was an item on the local ballot about passing a bond for the school district. The bond had several components to it but one included rebuilding [a local middle school] in a new area of town. The current [middle school] sits in one of the most resource-poor areas of the city, and the population of the middle school is 44% black, indigenous, and people of color, compared to the 26% statewide average. I could not in good conscience vote for this bill that would further divide inequities related to education… I spent time advocating against the bond and trying to educate some of my neighbors, who would have greatly benefited from the bond, about its possible effects on other communities. I encourage you to get involved, email your elected officials often, and let them know what racist policies you do not support. I think that is a great way to take action with Dr. Kendi’s words from [How to Be An Antiracist].”

What We Can Do

Racism can be subtle. Having not been affected by it, and having not been aware of it (both due to privilege), it can be easy to miss altogether. While much of the conversation has focused on the black community (and it is Black History Month, so we are also focusing on that today), many other minority populations are affected by racism, unconscious bias, and systemic racism. Recently, for example, there has been an increase in violence against the Asian American population. This is not okay—and I hope you already know that.

Here are some ways to begin unraveling your own unconscious biases:

1. When someone shares about their personal experience or feelings, believe them. Just because you haven’t experienced racism or noticed it in your community, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If someone tells you they have been affected by racism, believe them.

2. Educate yourself. Seek to learn more about different communities and the issues that affect them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, as long as you are sincere—and don’t be offended if their answers or responses go against your current understanding or experience. Seek to increase your “pool of understanding” (as the book Crucial Conversations calls it). Here are a couple short YouTube videos to learn more about privilege and social inequalities:

   • Race & Privilege: A Social Experiment | Regardless Of Race | CNA Insider

   • Privilege/Class/Social Inequalities Explained in a $100 Race

3. Create change in your home, community, and nation. Professor Spruance gave a great example of how to be involved in your community. For much more information on systemic racism, I recommend How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.

We cannot change the world in a day. But by increasing our awareness and our ability to love and support our neighbors more fully, we can begin making meaningful change in our own spheres of influence.

*Note: In the original article, we recommended readers take the Harvard Implicit Associations Test (IAT). We have since removed that recommendation. We are grateful to a reader for informing us that there is a lot of criticism toward the IAT, even by the creators themselves. While incredibly popular (according to an article on The Cut, millions of people have taken the test since 1998), the IAT has been found to be unreliable and inaccurate. The test can still be used as an educational tool, but should not be considered a diagnostic test. It is still important to be aware of racism and bias—two very real issues in our society.

Choose one of the action items found above to incorporate into your week!

References

Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to Be An Antiracist. Random House.

Allie Barnes graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies, earned a certificate in Substance Use Disorder Counseling from Utah Valley University, and studied writing throughout her undergraduate career. In every professional role she’s filled since then, her focus remains the same: People.