10 Forms of Bias You Should Consider in Your Racial Equity Work

In the last few weeks, we have been exploring what bias looks like and how to counter problematic narratives. Click on the ‘Download Graphic’ button to see the 10 forms of bias we explored in November. 

Operationalizing racial equity requires leaders at all levels of systems and institutions to make courageous, innovative choices. We know that recognizing individual biases is not enough to change systems, but we also believe it is a vital first step. By confronting our individual biases, we can begin to change who we are as people, which allows us to reconsider how we show up in our roles toward the long-term goal of changing systems.

As we come to recognize our biases, it’s important to “walk boldly toward them,” as Vernā Myers proclaims in her informative TED Talk. But how can we do that without understanding what they are, and how they show up? 

To support our network in taking this vital step of personal change on the journey toward systems change, Medici Road has codified six biases that we’ve seen prevent organizations from being able to fully embrace a racial equity approach. Not only that, but we’ve offered a tool that we have found helpful in countering our biases once we do notice them, along with examples that may support you in applying the tool within your own work. 

As you browse this resource, we encourage you to consider how these biases do or do  not show up in you and in your organization. As a team, share these reflections with each other. It might reveal new insights about each other and deepen your capacity to collaborate in designing strategies that are as unbiased as possible, and instead rooted in an honest assessment of the data and realities that communities of color face today.