‘Implicit Bias’ – Discussing the Black experience in corporate America – BOLD ERG

‘Implicit Bias’ – Discussing the Black experience in corporate America – BOLD ERG

As adults, we would like to protect our youth from discovering the social inequities in society. However, children can detect differences in social class at an early age. This ABC report from WMAR in Baltimore hears from some local students and some experts in the field. Among the information shared is a reminder to use people-first language, a practice encouraged by many advocates for marginalized identities. For example, instead of saying ‘homeless person’, consider saying ‘person experiencing homelessness’.

Journal Prompts

• What emotions did the “Implicit Bias” video bring up for you? Did this video give you hope, cause despair, or some other emotion?
• The “Implicit Bias” video discusses differences in perception for certain words and emotions. One of the words referenced is “aggressive.” How do you perceive the word ‘aggressive’? Are there other words that might have different perceptions to identities aside from your own?
• The BOLD employee resource group at Altafiber put this video together to help educate others about what it is like to be Black in corporate America. Does your company have employee resource groups (ERGs)? Are you a member of an ERG? Have you ever attended an event hosted by an ERG? How can ERGs be used to empower your BIPOC employees?
• Can you relate to any of the stories shared in the “Implicit Bias” video? If not, have you ever seen/heard/perpetuated bias in your workplace and what have you done to change that climate? If you can relate, how did your workplace respond?