When we are asked to “look in the mirror,” it is to reflect on our unconscious biases—stereotypes and assumptions deep within our minds that affect our actions. These are biases we are not aware of, and they may not be the same as our declared, conscious beliefs. In other words, thoughts about people you didn’t know you had.
Most everyone has some implicit, or unconscious, bias as explained in the book, “Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People”, written by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald. There is a test we can take to gain a better understanding of where we stand: www.projectimplicit.net.
We also need to “look out our windows” and see that systemic racism does exist. To say that it doesn’t illustrates ignorance regarding the struggle of African Americans throughout history.
Racist policies and racist ideas have worked together to create an acceptance of racial inequalities in our systems/institutions of everyday life. Examples of these inequalities include home ownership (71.9 percent white to 41.8 percent black), average incomes (white households earning $71,000 to black households earning $41,000), lack of health insurance (5.4 percent white to 9.7 percent black) and poverty rate (8.1 percent white to 20.7 percent black).
It’s not a matter of being “a” racist. It’s about policies (laws, procedures, guidelines that govern people) that are either racist—supporting inequities between racial groups—or antiracist—supporting equity between racial groups.
Denying that there is a problem is at the core of racism. This is why we need to “look in the mirror” and strive for self-awareness, self-criticism and examine our actions and beliefs. Then we need to “look out our windows” and do the work to change policies within the institutions that have kept people of color oppressed. To be antiracist, one must do the work, not just make the claim. Read “How to Be an Antiracist,” written by Ibram X. Kendi, to learn more.
We need to challenge ourselves and educate ourselves about things that matter. Of course all lives matter. However, a good doctor once said, “All bones in our body matter, but a broken bone needs immediate attention.”