Let's Talk About It: How do we discuss bias?

Today's episode of Let's Talk About It tackles the thorny topic of racial bias. Dialogue coach David Campt says in order to have productive discussions about it, we need to own up to the moments of bias within ourselves, even if they are only occasional. He spoke with WFDD's David Ford.

Interview Highlights

On the gulf between those who feel racial bias played a role in Tyre Nichols' death:

Fox News host Tucker Carlson: "CNN's Van Jones did acknowledge that the police who hit Tyree Nichols were Black, but quote, 'They might still have been driven by racism.' Van Jones didn't take the time to explain how. It was a lie."

CNN commentator Van Jones: "African Americans can also be guilty of hatred and bias and bigotry against other African Americans. Sometimes you go into a store that's owned by an African American. They're nice to the white folks and suspicious of you. It's not that only one group can harbor anti-Black bias. It's so pervasive."

On the power of personal stories when discussing issues of racial bias:

I tried to help you see that racism still matters, I told a personal story. I didn't talk about racism in society, or in other people, or you, I talked about it within myself. And the thing about telling personal stories like that is that if I'm talking about racism I see in other people, I'm speculating about what's going on. But if I'm talking about it in myself, I know what happened with me. And it's hard for you to just discount that. So I think that part of it we need to do to talk about bias better, is to own up to the moments of bias within us, even if they're only occasional.

On the need for marginalized groups to talk about bias with those who feel it's not a problem:

It's harder for a person of color [like me] to use that method because I have to respond to my anger that racism is being denied. But I'm saying that if we look at what's likely to happen, I think that whether it's about sexism or racism, whatever, it probably is going to take people in the disadvantaged group, to start talking about their bias against their own group, to give other people the freedom to be honest about it. It's not fair. But I think that it probably has to happen like that. But the main point is that everybody needs to start talking about bias more honestly. And to talk about it while owning up to their piece of the problem.