Why Everyday Bias Is So Easy to Overlook

When we hear the word bias, we may think about something obvious. Someone making a racist comment, treating someone differently because of their race, or purposely excluding them. But bias is not always that easy to recognize.
Sometimes, it is much more subtle.

What Does Everyday Bias Look Like?

Everyday bias can look like constantly being talked over, having your ideas overlooked, or feeling like people already decided what you are capable of before giving you the chance to show them.

I have experienced this myself. Being a part of a space where I am one of the few Black people in the room, there have been times when I felt like what I had to say was overlooked, or like people questioned whether I could actually do what I was there to do.

Nobody had to directly tell me that I did not belong for me to feel it.

Experiences like these are why anti-racism goes beyond addressing the most obvious forms of racism. It also means recognizing the smaller actions and assumptions that can make someone feel like they constantly have to prove themselves.

Recognizing Our Own Bias

The difficult thing about bias is that sometimes people don’t even realize they have it. We all make assumptions that can influence how we interact with others, who we listen to, and who we believe is capable.

That’s why recognizing bias is an important part of racial justice. We have to be willing to question our own actions, listen to experiences that may be different from ours, and make sure we aren’t contributing to an environment where someone feels overlooked simply because they are different from the majority.

For me, being overlooked has never been a reason to stop showing up. Instead, I remind myself that I am still in the same room I may have been made to feel I was not good enough to be in.

Sometimes, that reminder is enough to keep going.

You earned your place in the room. Don’t let someone else’s bias convince you otherwise.