Post 1: The Black Bias

In my WP1 and WP2 I wrote about the Black experience, what it was like growing up Black in America and how that has the potential to affect everything you do in life. Throughout history Black people have been put down for the color of their skin, to this day people exist who think of Back Americans as less than and believe they deserve the treatment that they receive in modern society. The primary issue in the treatment of Black Americans today is the stereotypes non-Black people have created to keep the Black community small and powerless.

Negative stereotypes follow you everywhere you go regardless of how you dress, how you do your hair, how you talk, or how you act. It seems like simply existing as a Black person gives every other person the right to call you aggressive, lazy, ghetto, or unprofessional; and when you try to act in a way to counteract these stereotypes you’re demeaned for trying too hard. The worst part is, these stereotypes follow Black people outside of the domain of the casual. Dehumanizing stereotypes follow people into the professional and academic world as well, making it difficult for Black Americans to secure a job which interferes with their ability to make money and provide for themselves and their families. Even children have to endure racial profiling from bigoted peers and authority figures.

In my WP1, I broke down the beauty standard in America. I wrote about how eurocentric the beauty standard is, therefore putting all non-White people at a disadvantage aesthetically. Historically, the constant people group that has been used as a contrast for White people and the White community are Black people. Thus in the scope of the societal beauty standard, Black people are oftentimes excluded and considered to be removed from the standard.

In my WP2, I further explored this concept of the exclusion of Black people based on the beauty standard. I wrote specifically about the workforce and how Black women are often mistreated and underappreciated by their peers in this space. I interviewed several women about their experiences in the workplace and noted that most of them felt the same way or had similar experiences. Feelings of dejection were common as stereotypes of the aggressive Black woman were thrown at them when they were simply being assertive because there is an initial lack of respect for Black women in authority positions.

In doing these projects, I noticed a theme of Black people being undervalued in society. It seems as though when a Black person enters space there is usually a negative reaction towards them. That regardless of their character or work ethic they are an aggressive Black person until proven otherwise. This hard to shake initial reaction is what I would like to call the Black Bias.

This bias affects everything Black people do, it affects everything that I do. When a Black person walks down the street, they have to be mindful of the way they present themselves so as to not be perceived as a threat. When in the classroom a Black person must choose their words carefully in order to be seen as qualified to even be in that space. From a young age, my parents always taught me to talk a certain way and act a certain way in order to maintain a respectable place in society. I still have conversations with them about what I can and cannot do in terms of how I present myself because of how it will affect me and my future.

Even the most accomplished individuals had to present themselves in a certain way in order to appeal to the people in power. The Black Bias ensures that the Black community remains limited in the ways that they go through life if they want to maintain a place in society. The universal Black experience of growing up being taught that who you are isn’t enough when you’re not with the people of your community ensures that Black people have struggled for generations. My hope for the future is for non-Black people to recognize this Bias and face it, allowing them to change how they act in the world and how they react to Black people. As time goes on, people are becoming more accepting and less judgemental so I hope that the phenomenon that is the Black Bias can be reduced and eventually eliminated so that Black people can exist as themselves instead of putting on a facade in order to be accepted by mainstream society.