Implicit Bias

Intellectually I understand

That biases should have little place

In my perception of the world

But the reality that I face

Is that biases sneak in somehow

Embed themselves without a sound

In the recess of my subconscious mind

I know my judgment they confound

Such that I, often imperceptibly

End up practicing discrimination

I don’t realize until I receive

From someone else an insinuation

*

A fair person I consider myself to be

Knowing I am biased pinches me..

*

Quite wildly then I fantasize

If my biases I could externalize

Wear them as clothes that could be

Washed in the waters of impartiality

Then I would wring out, dry and wear

A garment unbiased and fair

See the world and its denizens

Through an impartial lens..

*

Since real-life solutions are

Much more complicated by far

To let go of my biases I need

To interact more widely indeed

With people who are as different as can be

In language, religion, political affiliation, from me

To understand and connect at a level more deep

Let go of differences, the universal tenets of humanity keep….