September 4-10, 2020

In honor of Juneteenth 2020, I've committed to educating myself on systemic racism, discrimination, and bias. Every day from June 19, 2020 to June 18, 2021, I will read an article or book chapter, listen to a podcast, watch a movie or documentary, view a webinar, or do something substantive to educate myself in these areas. As part of that commitment, I will post to this blog each Friday with a list of what I've done over the past week as well as any pertinent thoughts or reflections.

Today's post covers the week of September 4-10, 2020.

 

How to Reduce Personal Bias When Hiring 

We are biologically hard-wired to align with people like us and reject those whom we consider different. Routinely asking the question, "Where could bias show up in our decisions today?", especially when it comes to hiring, is an important step avoid the affinity bias trap. This Harvard Business Review article goes on to suggest several other tools managers should use in the hiring process.

From Reform to Abolition: The Future of the US Prison System

This 2019 TED Talk is given by West Virginia University senior Emma Harrison, who also volunteers for the innocence project. She argues that the prison system crafted after the passage of the 13th amendment is broken and cannot be reformed. Harrison cites the convict leasing program and current rates of incarceration in her home state as evidence. She finishes by reviewing proposals for change.

What Happens When You Tell Your Story and I Tell Mine?

This 10 minute article by Zaid Jilani suggests ways for groups of different people (political parties, nations, religions, races, etc.) to understand each others' perspectives. Rather than trying to develop empathy, the techniques of "perspective giving" and "perspective taking" are explored as strategies to bridge divides. The author describes how this technique has worked in various contexts.

The Confederate Flag: Where Does it Come From?

Associate Professor of History Fay Yarbrough discusses the origins of the Confederate Flags, the history of their display and incorporation into modern flags and symbols, and how the flags have been viewed by Southerners, Northerners, and visitors from abroad. This 60 minute webinar is divided into 30 minutes of lecture and 30 minutes of audience q-and-a about Confederate and racist symbolism.

Balls and Strikes

The NPR podcast Code Switch covers the recent professional sports strikes in the context of an 1881 laundry workers strike in Atlanta organized by six Black women - Matilda Crawford, Sallie Bell, Carrie Jones, Dora Jones, Orphelia Turner, and Sarah A. Collier. The tactics used by these women 140 years ago are compared to the players in the NBA and WNBA, along with the risks assumed by the workers in each organization.

 

The Life of Breonna Taylor Lived, In the Words of Her Mother

In this month's Vanity Fair, Ta-Nehisi Coates captures the words of Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor, in a series of interviews. Palmer recalls her own upbringing in Michigan and tells the story of her daughter from infancy to her death in March. Palmer also talks about protests in the city of Louisville and her family's fight for justice.

The NFL Protests With Colin Kaepernick, Who's Still Unsigned

Four years ago, Colin Kaepernick took a knee to protest police brutality, and this summer, George Floyd was killed after a police officer placed a knee on his neck. Now the NFL is encouraging its players to express themselves and has committed $250M toward social justice causes, all while Kaepernick remains a free agent. The Wall Street Journal looks at the impact Kaepernick has had on sports and protests and whether or not he will play in the NFL again.