Tag Archives: bias

Students Make Themselves Heard:  The Central Park Exonerated Five:  Part 4 (of 4)

Previously: As a White professor teaching sociology and diversity at a Historically Black College (Baltimore City Community College), I often dealt with sensitive and potentially divisive issues. Roughly 3 decades ago, one of my Intro Soc students raised a tough … Continue reading

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Thin Slices of Autism

Starbucks has been in the news lately for reasons that seemingly have nothing to do with autism.  Months ago, two Black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia.  Their offense?  Asking to use the bathroom, waiting for their business partner, … Continue reading

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Autism and “being the other”

In a poignant article about his life as an “other,” Arturo Madrid talks about growing up in a small village in New Mexico, going on to graduate school at UCLA, and then teaching at Dartmouth College.  As a Mexican-American, he … Continue reading

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Childhood Bias, Learning, and “Jimmys”

Rebecca Dore, lead investigator of a recent University of Virginia study on biases among children, argues that adults need to address this issue early and I might add, often.  But how? A few years ago, I asked my youngest daughter … Continue reading

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Do African Americans Cry?

In 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois, noted author, sociologist, and the first African American to earn a Doctorate Degree from Harvard University, received a letter from Alvin Borquest.  The White researcher was interested in the subject of crying.  He asked the … Continue reading

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Social Class Bias

As a dimension of diversity, social class carries tremendous economic, educational, and political importance. Yet, when diversity is defined and discussed, social class is often totally ignored or at best, an afterthought. Consider the following stories as reported in the … Continue reading

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Tutu the Teacher

Last week, Archbishop Desmond Tutu retired at the age of 79. As a teacher, his students spanned the globe. One of the most important lessons I learned from him has to do with our hidden biases, and the subtle ways … Continue reading

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Some Perspective Please

Some Perspective Please As a sociologist, my training is to make connections, and look beyond the present, beyond the individual, and beyond the “bits and pieces” offered by the media. With regard to the ongoing controversy surrounding the location of … Continue reading

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