Environmental Justice & Diversity

Facing Our Own Implicit Biases

Implicit bias is an unconscious bias. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have implicit biases. Unfortunately, most of us do not realize when we are influenced by our own biases, especially those involving race and gender. Civil rights movements and policies have made explicit biases, such as racial and gender discrimination, socially unacceptable and illegal, yet they are still pervasive.

Identify Your Own Hidden Biases With Project Implicit

Project implicit is an on-going research project at Harvard University led by Mahzarin R. Banaji. Its free online IAT, implicit association test is simple and fun. However, please note the disclaimer that the test results are not absolute. It has been a great ice-breaker for my students to start uncomfortable, yet important conversations about racism. For more details about IAT, check out her book, Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People.

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism

More On Starting A Conversation About Racism....

These are additional books I found helpful:

• So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo-- the author suggests ways to call out racism, and practical tips to start conversations on racism.
• The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity, by Sally Kohn — on how to create a neutral space for conversations about racism and other conflicts.
• Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor, by Layla Saad and Robin DiAngelo — the book is in discussion format with a weekly topic and reflections. This started as an Instagram format, and eventually converted into a book.
• How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi

Place Of Identity Denied

Do you have a place of identity where you can establish relationships and cultivate your own values and beliefs? A place of identity could be your home, school, business, community. What if you were displaced from or denied access to such a place? We need to understand our history. Only then, can we move forward to achieve an environmentally and socially just society. The 1619 Project is a documentary podcast about 400 years of Black American slavery. It sheds light on the systemic magnitude of racism — basically for the profit of cotton industries. The video below, “Why All Americans Should Care About ‘Environmental Racism?” shows how Indigenous people were displaced from their own ancestors' land. It is a good representation of why environmental and social justice is necessary to address the current issues we face.

Racism & Environment: Redlining & The Green Ceiling

Environmental movements and implicit racism have a long parallel history. Redlining is an ongoing process that associates people of color with inner-city urban communities with limited public access to nature. Decades ago, the 12-16% green ceiling was set for people of color communities to be represented in any environmental organizations. People of color make up 36% of the U.S. population and 29% of the science and engineering workforce, yet the green ceiling has not be broken. In order for us to achieve environmental justice, we need to tackle systemic racism.