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The Biology of Bias
Racism isn’t just a social problem — it’s a public health emergency
We don’t need to cite studies or get into an academic argument over the extent of racism and unconscious bias in this country.
Most Black people themselves can tell us the intense daily struggles they face living here.
My Black friends include educators, physicians, architects, home builders, engineers, electricians, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, real estate agents, insurance agents, accountants, lawyers, bankers, community organizers, caterers, and consultants.
Nearly all of them, the men in particular, have shared with me that at some point they’ve been asked to step out of their vehicle after being pulled over for mere speeding.
Now, if you need statistics, they bear out these exhaustively repeated life experiences.
Black drivers in North Carolina, just as an example, were more than twice as likely to be pulled over compared to white drivers, even after accounting for areas with higher crime rates. In California, 27.8% of stops involving Black individuals included being asked to step out of the vehicle or being subjected to similarly intrusive actions. This is more than twice as often as compared to stops involving white individuals.
