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Social Justice

Implicit Bias and MicroAggressions

Implicit bias, also referred to as unconscious bias, is a type of unconscious preconception born of stereotypes, negative images, misinformation, and other prejudices that impact our principles, perceptions, judgement, conduct, and interactions with other people.  The premise is that we are typically unaware of the influence this type of bias has on our everyday lives.

Microaggressions are subtle, abusive, and derogatory environmental, verbal, or nonverbal comments, slights, symbols, negative gestures, or other adverse interactions that target persons belonging to marginalized groups. The deeper messages in microaggressive behavior are hidden and not overt. This behavior occurs globally and manifests in the workplace, healthcare, the criminal justice system, and school, religious or social settings.  The term microaggressions was coined by psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce between 1969 and the early 1970s and was expanded by Jack Dovido, Ph.D., Samuel Gaertner, Ph.D., and Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D. “Microaggressions can be related to race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, or other features that reflect some aspect of personal identity. And while microaggressions most often present as verbal slights in spoken language, they may also take on nonverbal or environmental forms” (Colin Harrison and Kimberly D. Tanner, Language Matters: Considering Microaggressions in Science). Additional Sources: Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D., Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life and Natasha N. Johnson and Thaddeus Johnson, Microaggressions: An Introduction.

The resources in this section offer more details on implicit bias and microaggressions and their intersection with the legal system and legal profession.

Books

Articles

Organizations

Websites

Blogs

Videos

Hidden Injustice: Bias on the Bench (2016)

This video from the American Bar Association discusses bias in the legal system, judges' experiences taking the implicit bias test, and some ways to mitigate implicit bias in the legal field.

New York Times--Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism (2016)

"What is implicit bias? NYT/POV's Saleem Reshamwala unscrews the lid on the unfair effects of our subconscious."

PBS NewsHour--How the biases in the back of your mind affect how you feel about race (2015)

"Americans born in the Millennial generation are more likely to say they're not racist and less likely to use racist expressions. But subconscious prejudices still persist. Hari Sreenivasan visits a psychology lab at New York University, where researchers test subjects’ instinct and decision-making to learn more about these implicit biases."

TEDx--Implicit Bias -- How it affects us and how we push through | Melanie Funchess | TEDxFlourCity (2014)

Melanie Funchess defines implicit bias, discusses how to recognize our assumptions about unknown people, and shares a way forward.

Wiley--Microaggressions in Everyday Life (2010)

"Bestselling author Derald Wing Sue explains what a microaggression is, how it manifests itself, how it impacts people, and what can be done to address it."