Thanks to everyone who attended Tuesday’s Community Conversation led by Professor Ken Fox! It was a great discussion that provided critical groundwork for how we should think about and approach challenging engagement opportunities. During the discussion, the topic of “biases” and their role were highlighted and how, if left unchecked, they might quietly shape our society and our interactions. So, I invite you to explore a moving and emotional TED Talk, recommended by the Council of Independent Colleges, “How to Overcome our Biases? Walk Boldly Towards Them,” that challenges us to identify and confront biases and take meaningful action.
In this talk, Vernā Myers reflects on Isabel Wilkerson’s book, The Warmth of Other Suns, which tells the powerful story of The Great Migration—a movement of six million Black Americans leaving the South in search of safety and opportunity. Myers addresses the unconscious biases many hold and offers practical ways we can acknowledge them and actively work to build authentic relationships across differences. While doing so, Myers offers a few questions that we can ask ourselves:
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Who do I trust?
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What am I afraid of?
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Who do I implicitly feel connected to?
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Who do I run away from?
Through her warm and charismatic facilitation, she puts forward the importance of seeing the full humanity and potential in individuals, regardless of difference, and taking responsibility for creating a community where everyone feels they belong and every perspective feels welcomed.
As you watch, I encourage you to reflect on how these ideas might shape our efforts and interactions on campus. And most important, how we can boldly walk towards and engage differences.
