Each of us carries biases, which are swift judgments and assumptions we form about various groups of people based on a flawed set of beliefs. These biases transform into discrimination—whether it’s racism, sexism, ageism, or ableism—when we act upon these beliefs in ways that negatively affect individuals from these groups.
There’s been a long-standing narrative that some of our biased beliefs are conscious, while others are unconscious, meaning that we’re not even aware of their existence. “Unconscious bias,” often referred to as implicit bias, is commonly invoked to elucidate instances of systemic discrimination, such as why a white supervisor might not promote a Black employee or why a Black student is more likely to face expulsion from school.
