EVENT POSTPONED: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. PLEASE CHECK OUR EVENTS CALENDAR FOR FUTURE PROGRAM OFFERINGS.

Implicit Bias: We all have it, but we don’t have to act on it (Via Zoom)

February 20, 9:00am-12:00pm (Central Time)

$20 preregistered/prepaid.

Registration Deadline: February 18 (A link will be sent to you one day prior to the event)

We all have thoughts and feelings that usually live below our everyday awareness. Some of these preferences or attitudes are harmless (a preference for bright, saturated colors rather than pastels; choosing a spacious reading room over a cozy nook), but others are not (a preference for people who share our racial identity or our primary language). Understanding and resisting implicit racial bias is essential to creating a just and equitable society. It is particularly important for persons of good will who don’t consciously support racism to uncover any race-based biases and to understand what’s involved in overcoming them. In this lecture and discussion class we’ll build on the ideas discussed in the previously offered session, “Waking Up to Whiteness and Implicit Bias,” though attending that session is not a prerequisite for participating in this session.

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures the strength of associations between social groups (for instance, Black and White people) and evaluations (such as good and bad). Ideally, participants in this lecture and discussion class will have taken the IAT before the session. The IAT is online and free (link below). There are many categories that the IAT measures, but please choose ‘race’. Participants are also encouraged to listen to the Hidden Brain (NPR) podcast on implicit bias.

Implicit Association Test: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

Hidden Brain (NPR) Podcast: https://www.npr.org/2020/06/20/880379282/the-mind-of-the-village-understanding-our-implicit-biases

Formally trained with a Ph.D. in Philosophy, Patrice Koelsch began sitting at Common Ground Meditation Center in 1995. Patrice is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders Program, and completed a year-long Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program at the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies. She has practiced meditation at monasteries in Thailand and Myanmar. Patrice has provided hands-on care for persons in the last stages of HIV/AIDS, and worked for many years in HIV education and client support services. Until the Pandemic interrupted, she had been facilitating meditation groups in correctional facilities. She has a special interest in antiracism work focusing on waking up to whiteness.

ATTENTION: Program titles containing: (Via Zoom), please read below.

If you have never used Zoom, it is very important to download the Zoom application on your computer/device IN ADVANCE.

CLICK HERE to view a video for instructions.

Select the video: “Join a Meeting.”

You will be sent a Zoom link via email prior to the event. If you are first time Zoom user, you will first need to download the software application on your computer/device. Zoom is free to download. All persons have to do this the first time you use Zoom on that computer/device. After that, you will only need to sign in with your email.