Professional Documents
Culture Documents
RESETTING A VISION OF RACE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: INSIGHTS FROM THE MIND SCIENCES
Americans remember the now iconic I Have a Dream Speech as the crystallization of the Civil Rights Movements vision of racial equality. The upcoming 50th Anniversary of the speech creates a remarkable opportunity to define a 21st Century vision of racial equality. This moment will be interpreted by many as a referendum on the related but distinct questions of how much progress weve made and whether race continues to matter. Our racial progress is undeniable and the vast majority of Americans hold egalitarian aspirations. Yet our practices do not live up to our conscious aspirations. The challenge is to address this reality without further polarizing the country - particularly because the cultural conversation will occur in the fraught aftermath of the Zimmerman verdict and Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action and the Voting Rights Act. Despite continued segregation and intense racial polarization, the Supreme Court in particular is tilting toward an adoption of the color-blind vision and away from the idea that government has a role to play in ensuring racial equality. The concept of color-blindness, of course, is a caricature of the image of a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character and a transformation of that caricature into an ideology. The color-blind meme has also been a very successful strategy for the Right. It appeals to White peoples sense of fairness and egalitarian values, is aspirational in nature, appeals to American individualism, and allows the Right to call anyone who discusses race a racist. Most egregiously, we see this strategy at work in the labeling of President Obama the race-baiter in chief due to his efforts to speak to the realities of race in contemporary society. The current strategy for responding to color-blindness is to highlight disparities, but for reasons discussed below, that strategy is likely to fail, and, indeed, has not been successful thus far. Though the color-blind ideology has permeated our culture, it has not entered our subconscious. Neuroscience and social psychology show empirically that 21st century Americans are far from color-blind. Instead, we all have deeply embedded stereotypical associations (implicit biases) that affect our behavior and decisions. Studies further show that people of all races experience racial anxiety when interacting with people of other races. Equally important, however, is the research showing that: Our negative stereotypes flow from images that permeate the culture. Accordingly, we can transform perceptions by challenging those negative images and introducing more fully humanized visions of people of color that will transform our negative associations.
If we know about our biases and anxieties, we can follow our conscious egalitarian values. Racial bias and anxiety are not intractable but racial equality requires us to understand how race matters. Social science research provides the empirical support to deconstruct the tenets that underlie the ideology of colorblindness and the claims that we are post-racial. But this research allows us to communicate this message while affirming peoples egalitarian aspirations and positive intentions. We need to draw a distinction between the common understanding of racism as explicit and intentional, the province of White supremacists like Bull Connor, and race as an implicit and unconscious driver of our opinions and actions. And we need to be more coordinated and disciplined around messages that speak to the following: People literally and physiologically cannot be colorblind; color-blindness does not work as a practice. While the idea that we all can judge and be judged based purely on the content of our character may seem to be a wonderful aspiration to work towards, it is not actually possible. The ideology of individual responsibility ignores the multitude of racialized practices that cause much present day inequality. We need not and should not deny individual agency or personal responsibility but we should also not rely on it as a sole explanation for racial disparity. We need to make clear that government vis a vis policy has a role to play in allowing individuals the opportunity to reach their potential. Our cultural history (indeed the Civil Rights Movement soon to be celebrated) also supports a model of collective responsibility that can be significantly more empowering than consumerist individualism. Racialized actions rarely stem from the actions of racists, but rather often result from in-group preferences, implicit biases, and racial anxieties. A 21st Century vision for racial justice is a collective vision. One that isnt just about individual actions and an individuals explicit views, but instead focuses on the individual and collective actions that reduce micro-aggressions against people of color as well as context-specific interventions that mitigate the effects of bias. Collectively, we have an opportunity to use the powerful insights from the mind sciences to redefine a vision of racial justice. Ideally, the 21st century will allow us to realize another of Dr. Kings images that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. Together, we need to engage culture to transform perception, and hold accountable media depictions that reinforce negative associations. We need to engage our own community, and realize that we have more power than we think to hold policy makers accountable and demand better policy, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Courts gutting of the Voting Rights Act. We also need to argue that while visions of racial justice may differ, we know that color-blindness is not racial
justice, and neither is a world in which every news story and utterance by a politician is racialized. This memo outlines messaging strategies that flow from the above understanding of the current landscape around issues of race, as well as an understanding of how implicit bias works and how implicit bias insights can help point the way to a new more constructive racial conversation. The ultimate goal of messaging must not be to silence our opponents but rather to change the conversation by affirming our collective humanity and bring people of color more strongly into the American narrative. To accomplish this requires messages that disarm predictable defense mechanisms and help us reduce both racial bias and racial anxiety.
who fits the category. Once these stereotypes are lodged into our minds, they are easily triggered, a process scientists call implicit bias. Bias and Anxiety in our daily lives: all races feel the impact of implicit bias on their lives and this creates heightened anxieties. People of color experience an ever-present fear that negative stereotypes will impact their lives, their health, their employment opportunities and their safety. White people, meanwhile, very much want to be considered fair minded and worry that their words or actions will be misunderstood when they interact with people of different racial or ethnic groups. Messages that inadvertently heighten anxiety are likely to lead to greater polarization and less receptivity to the message.
RESIST
THE
COMMON
PRACTICE
OF
BEGINNING
A
DISCUSSION
OF
RACE
BY
DESCRIBING
CURRENT
RACIAL
DISPARITIES:
Those
of
us
who
care
deeply
about
racial
equality
and
justice
experience
a
sense
of
moral
urgency
when
we
learn
about
disparities
in
educational
outcomes,
imprisonment,
health
care
access,
employment,
and
other
important
life
domains.
However,
for
those
not
already
focused
on
racial
justice,
beginning
a
discussion
with
a
list
of
disparities
has
the
opposite
effect.
Racial
disparities
trigger
anxiety
which
has
the
effect
of
triggering
defense
mechanisms
that
harden
opposition
rather
than
garnering
support.
Discussions
that
begin
with
disparities
also
tend
to
reify
stereotypes,
create
a
sense
that
people
of
color
are
other,
and
undermine
support
for
particular
policies.
Research
support:
In
an
internal
American
Values
Institute
Study
with
the
Analyst
Institute,
we
found
that
support
for
a
jobs
policy
for
areas
of
high
unemployment
decreased
from
over
60%
to
42%
when
subjects
read
a
short
piece
that
began
with:
Although
many
people
have
been
hard-hit,
the
job-finding
picture
for
black
Americans
is
particularly
bleak.
Already
more
than
a
third
of
black
children
are
living
in
poverty.
Without
a
dramatic
new
intervention
by
the
federal
government,
the
poverty
rate
for
African-American
children
could
eventually
approach
a
heart-stopping
50
percent,
according
to
analysts
at
the
Economic
Policy
Institute.
Indeed,
16%
of
white
people
stopped
reading
after
the
first
sentence.
Leading
with
and
emphasizing
racial
disparities
is
also
likely
to
be
dispiriting
for
the
racial
group
at
issue:
While
we
may
assume
that
hearing
about
racial
disparities
will
trigger
action
among
those
affected,
research
suggests
that
hearing
about
disparities
can
lead
people
to
feel
a
sense
of
helplessness
or
despair
rather
than
agency
and
empowerment.
Research
support:
A
study
of
Black
voting
turn-out
in
the
2008
North
Carolina
primary
found
that
black
voters
are
more
likely
to
adopt
of
norms
of
not
voting
when
it
seemed
like
the
norm
among
other
blacks
in
previous
elections
was
to
not
vote.
We
suspect
that
this
result
is
likely
due
to
the
ways
in
which
these
messages
altered
blacks
perception
of
the
value
of
voting.
Because
of
the
nontrivial
costs
associated
voting
and
because
of
blacks
strong
sense
for
collective
identity
a
message
which
suggests
that
people
like
me
dont
vote
is
likely
to
cause
blacks
to
question
the
utility
gained
from
voting
in
this
election
(and
perhaps
later
elections).
Additionally,
we
can
demonstrate
the
continued
relevance
of
race
in
our
lives
without
relying
on
outcome
disparities.
The
persistence
of
tension
and
anxiety
around
racialized
issues
(Trayvon
Martin,
public
education,
Stop
and
Frisk,
Paula
Deen
etc.)
is
easily
demonstrable
and
an
experience
most
listeners
will
have
in
their
own
lives.
program
had
50
kids.
The
wait
list
was
another
300.
The
young
black
boys
from
Newark
are
yearning
for
more
opportunities
Point
to
inspiring
examples
of
groups
coming
together
to
solve
our
nations
problems.
Example:
Phillip
Atiba
Goffs
work
with
the
Consortium
for
Policing
Leadership
in
Equity,
a
group
of
law
enforcement
professionals
and
social
scientists
that
collaborate
to
promote
police
transparency
and
accountability
(http://cple.psych.ucla.edu/).
Work
like
CPLE
points
to
the
successes
that
are
possible
when
we
all
come
together
to
try
to
solve
the
ongoing
problem
of
racial
equity
in
America.
Tell
stories
that
provide
counter-stereotypical
examples
to
help
challenge
biases.
Example:
Jaden
doesnt
always
let
his
classmates
know
it,
but
he
loves
math.
When
he
was
little,
he
counted
everything.
But
in
grade
school,
his
teachers
sometimes
made
mistakes
in
math.
When
Jaden
started
middle
school,
math
seemed
too
easy
and
he
started
getting
bored,
until
one
of
his
teachers
signed
him
for
an
afterschool
program,
Mathnasium,
walking
distance
from
his
house
in
the
Bronx.
Mathnasium
and
similar
afterschool
math
programs
are
places
for
kids
like
Jaden
to
be
challenged
in
math
and
to
develop
to
their
potential.
This
short
narrative
challenges
the
stereotype
of
Black
boys
as
uninterested
in
academic
topics
but
it
also
alludes
to
perennial
problems
like
teachers
who
are
not
expert
in
STEM
areas
and
the
quality
of
schools
in
poor
neighborhoods.
It
refers
to
a
policy
prescription
enrichment
and
after
school
programs
and
is
likely
to
elicit
more
support
than
simply
talking
about
the
importance
of
STEM
and
afterschool
programs.
Research
support:
Researchers
have
found
that
people
are
more
likely
to
remember
information
and
to
respond
emotionally
when
information
is
presented
as
a
story
or
narrative.
We
are
conditioned
from
birth
to
learn
from
stories.
The
narrative
mode
treats
experiences
as
unique
historical
events
containing
plots
(intentions,
actions,
and
outcomes)
that
allow
us
to
understand
and
interpret
human
activity
and
behavior
(McAdams,
2001).
Our
experiences
hearing
and
telling
stories
create
the
capacity
for
us
to
engage
in
perspective
taking,
empathy,
critical
thinking,
and
nuanced
ways
of
understanding
the
world
(Ochs,
Taylor,
Rudolph
&
Smith,
1992).
Accordingly,
when
dealing
with
issues
like
race
in
which
peoples
life
experiences
differ,
stories
are
particularly
critical
for
creating
the
possibilities
of
empathy.
CHALLENGE
OUR
CULTURAL
LEADERS
TO
CREATE
MORE
REPRESENTATIVE
AND
ACCURATE
STORIES
AROUND
RACE;
AND
TO
ADDRESS
RACE
WITH
THE
COMPLEXITY
IT
DESERVES:
We
all
recognize
that
images
and
narratives
driven
through
popular
culture
play
a
significant
role
in
creating
and
perpetuating
negative
perceptions,
so
it
should
be
no
surprise
that
research
shows
cultural
engagement
is
also
an
important
mechanism
to
de-bias.
If
we
are
to
move
beyond
our
racial
anxiety
and
create
support
for
more
addressing
racial
inequity,
we
must
add
a
deeper
analysis
of
how
our
emotions
and
fears
about
race
shape
our
behaviors
and
preferences.
Emotion
is
shaped
through
culture.
To
do
so
requires
engaging
our
cultural
influencers
and
image
creators
to
rethink
overreliance
on
quick,
convenient,
often
stereotypical
ways
of
telling
stories
involving
race.
6
Promote
more
accurate
and
complex
stories:
As
Opportunity
Agenda,
the
Maynard
Institute,
and
Color
of
Change
have
argued
throughout
their
work,
accuracy
is
a
core
principle
of
journalism.
Real,
honest,
complex
stories
are
the
means
of
widening
the
circle
and
humanizing
our
young
black
men
and
boys.
Yet
we
are
often
deluged
with
distorted
stories
instead.
And
as
research
by
the
American
Values
Institute
has
established,
these
stories
create
the
lens
through
which
individuals
are
viewed
and
treated.
Black
men
and
boys
are
often
seen
as
potentially
dangerous
or
presumed
to
be
an
athlete
or
entertainer
rather
than
a
doctor,
lawyer,
teacher,
or
father.
The
frightening
reality
is
that
the
systemic
suppression
of
these
stories
across
news,
fiction
and
infotainment
lead
to
the
opposite
effect
restricting
whom
we
feel
empathy
for,
and
giving
us
seeming
justification
to
treat
some
people
differently,
including
violently.
And
thats
as
true
for
the
influence
over
judges,
doctors
and
teachers
as
it
is
for
law
enforcement,
jurors
and
the
neighborhood
watchman.
Research
support:
Contrary
to
the
stories
we
see
in
the
media,
if
we
actually
evaluate
National
Center
for
Education
Statistics,
the
Census
Bureau's
American
Community
Survey
and
the
Department
of
Justice's
statistics
more
than
400,000
Black
men
are
in
college
than
in
jail.
Violent
crime
is
rarely
inter-racial
so
White
people
are
far
less
likely
to
be
the
victim
of
a
violent
crime
by
a
Black
man
than
a
White
man.
In
2010,
according
to
the
U.S.
Census,
118,124
Black
men
were
teachers.
We
need
many
more
stories
about
Black
college
students
and
teachers.
But
Professor
Travis
Dixon
from
U.C.L.A.
and
others
have
conducted
numerous
studies
showing
that
local
and
network
news
shows
as
well
as
crime
dramas
instead
deluge
us
with
images
of
violent
crimes.
Empower Americans to Hold Media Accountable: While we can work to engage our media leaders towards transforming perceptions around race in general and black men and boys in particular, we can also engage Americans to reject media that is blatantly manufactured to encourage stereotypes or increase racial anxiety. Again, Americans are by and large fair-minded and egalitarian. We should be empowering them to identify and push back on negative and unfair representations with their viewing habits and advertising dollars. Conclusion We are fast approaching one of those all-too-rare moments when our country focuses on race, not because of a tragedy, or a race-linked utterance by a celebrity, but in memory of a leader, revered because he called forth the best in the American people. Those who know Civil Rights history are aware that in his own time, Dr. King was deeply prescient, focusing on issues of poverty, opposing the War in Vietnam, and recognizing that as important as the gains of the Civil Rights Movement were, destroying the edifice of Jim Crow was necessary but not sufficient for true equality between the races. We have an opportunity to again call upon the American people to be their best selves, appealing to the best of our culture, the underlying desire of people to be free from their own biases and as a result to be free from the attendant anxieties.
President
Obama
and
national
leaders
and
surrogates
who
will
be
speaking
in
media
and
throughout
events
leading
up
to
the
March
Anniversary
are
uniquely
positioned
to
issue
this
call.
ABOUT
THE
AMERICAN
VALUES
INSTITUTE:
The
American
Values
Institute
(AVI)
is
a
consortium
of
researchers,
educators,
and
social
justice
advocates
focused
on
understanding
the
role
of
bias
in
our
society.
We
approach
our
mission
by
grounding
ourselves
in
the
study
of
the
unconscious
stereotypes,
preferences,
and
judgments
that
underpin
our
social
and
political
behavior
what
researchers
term
implicit
or
unconscious
bias.
Our
project
leverages
interdisciplinary
methods
to
understand
the
role
implicit
bias
plays
in
distorting
policy
and
politics.
We
aim
to
devise
and
develop
effective
mechanisms
that
will
de-bias
the
electorate
thereby
allowing
us
to
make
important
decisions
and
behave
without
being
influenced
by
racial,
ethnic,
or
gender
related
anxiety.
For
more
information:
www.americanvaluesinstitute.org
or
www.perception.org.
Or
contact:
Alexis
McGill
Johnson
at:
alexis@alexismcgill.com