Hidden Bias

When I received my results from the simulation, I was not entirely neutral-- I had a slight bias towards white, European Americans, and a slight prejudice against African Americans. Because I have grown up in a predominantly white neighborhood,  and therefore do not have any black friends, I was not surprised that I favored people who I identified with. After all, I have never met an African American with whom I have become close; I simply have not had the chance. This is precisely why I believe that diversity is so important in schools, neighborhoods, and communities of any kind. In doing so, people of different races and ethnicities become more aware of one another's cultures and customs, inherently making them more accepting of individuals who may different from themselves. If one is exposed to only people of one race, as I largely have been by growing up in Deerfield, it can result in being unfamiliar with people who may look different those you are used to, and this can unfortunately often translate into fear and prejudice. Nonetheless, I was certainly not please that this prejudice existed within me, and since taking the simulation I have become more conscious of it and have been working to rectify it. For example, I recently visited a college and when I was waiting at the train station to go back to the airport, I was acutely aware that I was the only white person on the platform and because of this, felt very uncomfortable. However, I was able to catch myself and recognize that my discomfort, my "hidden bias", was unmerited and wrong.