Witness Unconscious Bias

(UCU – University and College Union, 2016)

In this Video Josephine Kwhali expresses her frustration with the term ‘Unconscious Bias’ I’m reminded of a talk given by Shirley Ann Tate, ‘Whiteliness and institutional racism: Hiding behind unconscious bias’, in which she unpacks the term ‘unconscious bias’. Seeing the word ‘unconscious’ as a way to excuse and explains away racism. Tate argues that the term and concept is actually damaging as it maintains a racist status quo or ‘epistemology of ignorance‘ where universities are using it as a tool to work against the process of unlearning white supremacy.

Similarly, Kwhali questions how unconscious racial bias can be when there has been so much discourse around the topic in the academic world for so long.

Kwhali points to the practical gains which have been made by for middle-class white women in the academic environment, interrogating why similar change has not been forthcoming in relation to racial discrimination.

‘What else can we do?’ _{(J.Kwhail, 2016)}

_{CriSHET Nelson Mandela University, 2018. Whiteliness and institutional racism: Hiding behind unconscious bias. [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lur3hjEHCsE&t=2951s> [Accessed 1 July 2021].}

_{UCU – University and College Union, 2016. Witness Unconscious Bias. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6XDUGPoaFw> [Accessed 1 July 2021].}