Addressing racial bias in social work practice

5 Objectives

◉ Review terms and definitions in regards to implicit bias◉ Discuss how implicit biases may impact our decision-making

processes◉ Understand the difference between external motivation and

internal motivation to control prejudice◉ Discuss practical ways to help debias perceptions and

improve intergroup interactions◉ Discuss benefits of undergoing training for racism/ cultural

competency

I am Wendy Chen Taipei → Bangkok → Cedarville → NASW

Hello!

Where I came from

TaiwanThailand

Cedarville, OH

Terms and definitions

Implicit bias

Is the “automatic associations of stereotypes or attitudes about particular groups” (Godsil et al., 2014, p.9).

Racial anxiety

“Discomfort about the experience and potential consequences of interracial interaction” (Godsil et al., 2014, p. 10).

In-group bias

When people experience in-group bias, they tend to be more “comfortable with, have more trust in, hold more positive views of, and feel more obligated to members of their own group (Godsil et al., 2014, p. 24).

Stereotype threat

Refers to the pressure that people feel when they fear that their performance may confirm a negative stereotype about their group (Godsil et al., 2014, p. 19).

How our implicit biases impact decision-making processes

SAMPLE TEXTThis is a sample text

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NEGATIVE INTERGROUP CONTACT EXPERIENCES

WITHDRAWAL FROM INTERGROUP CONTACT

RACIAL ANXIETY

PERSONAL IMPLICIT BIASES

STEREOTYPING

1

2

3

4

5

How do we break this negative cycle?Let’s start with discussing the difference between external and internal motivations to control prejudice

External

“I attempt to appear non-prejudiced toward black people in order to avoid disapproval from others” (Godsil et al., 2014, p.48).

External vs. Internal motivations

Internal

“I attempt to act in a non-prejudiced way toward black people because it is personally important to me” (Godsil et al., 2014, p. 48).

Those with external motivations report high levels of racial bias in private whereas those with internal motivations to be fair show decreased biased actions overall.

Practical ways/interventions to help debias perceptions and improve intergroup interactions

PERSONAL LEVELStereotype replacement

IndividuationPerspective taking

Improve conditions of decision makingDirect intergroup

contactIndirect intergroup

contact

WORKPLACE LEVELWise criticism

Growth mindset Values-affirmationBehavioral scripts

Personal level

◉ Stereotype replacement: recognize that a response is based on stereotypes and reflect on why the response occurred.

◉ Individuation: obtain specific info about individuals from an out-group.

◉ Perspective taking: imagining oneself to be a member of a stereotyped group.

◉ Improve conditions of decision making: “thinking slow” and engaging in deliberate processing.

Personal level continued

◉ Indirect forms of intergroup contact : “when people observe that members from in-group have positive interactions with outgroup, research has reported lower bias and anxiety, and more positive intergroup attitudes. Also knowing friends that are friends with out-group reduces racial anxiety” (Godsil et al., 2014, p. 13).

◉ Direct intergroup contact: “direct interaction between members of different racial and ethnic groups can alleviate intergroup anxiety, reduce bias, and promote more positive intergroup attitudes and expectations for future contact” (Godsil et al., 2014, p. 13).

“

“The role of intergroup contact in reducing anxiety and bias underscores the role of emotion in racial interactions. It is not

enough for people to be taught that negative stereotypes are false or to believe in the

morality of non-prejudice. People need to feel a connection to others outside of their group;

once people feel connected, their racial anxiety decreases and so does their bias”

(Godsil et al., 2014, p. 49).

Workplace level

◉ Wise Criticism: Giving constructive feedback to clients with high expectations and strengths-based confidence in client for meeting those expectations.

◉ Growth mindset: or “incremental orientation” includes teaching clients that abilities are learnable/ incremental instead of “fixed” due to a stereotype threat.

◉ Values-affirmation: encourage clients to identify with broader identities and values (family, religion, art) that help them feel positively about themselves.

◉ Behavioral scripts: social scripts that help guide expected interpersonal behavior.

Benefits of undergoing training for racism/cultural competency

61.5%Said that the workshop changed their level of knowledge “significantly” or “a great

deal”

78.6%Said that the workshop motivated them to support racial equity efforts in venues other

than/ in addition to their workplace

86%Said that the workshop increased their awareness “somewhat” or “a great deal” about

how organizations can address racial equity issues

Undoing Racism Workshop

Outcomes of cultural competency training for practitioners working with clients with substance abuse

◉ Increased practitioner’s confidence◉ Practitioners were able to “ask questions which I did not dare to ask

before” (Luger, 2011, p.229).

Support

◉ Access to decision makers◉ Sufficient peer interest◉ Access to outside strategic

advice◉ Positive attention within

organization◉ Sense of job security◉ Enough time on job to

attend related tasks

Support and barriers to promoting racial equity

Barriers

◉ Insufficient leadership support

◉ Resistance from colleagues◉ Resistance from leaders◉ Need to keep low profile◉ Fear of getting into trouble

at work

Conclusion: Where do we go from here?

First-Order

◉ Small adjustments to routines

First-Order vs. Second-Order Change

Second-Order

◉ Paradigm shift for organization

◉ Radical◉ Transformative

Additional Resources

◉ http://www.antiracistalliance.com/◉ https://www.racialequitytools.org/home◉ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4nPz7LUDNM “Little

Things You Can Do To Combat Racism” (3 min video)◉ http://www.antiracistalliance.com/calendar.html Click on

“Continuum On Becoming An Antiracist Multiracial Institution”

References

Abramovitz, M., Blitz, L.V. (2015). Moving Toward Racial Equity: The undoing racism workshop and organizational change. Race & Social Problems, 7(2), 97-110.

Avery, D.R., Richeson, J.A., Hebl, M.R., Ambady N. (2009) It does not have to be uncomfortable: the role of behavioral scripts in Black-White interactions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(6), 1382-1393

Aydogan, A.F., Gonsalkorale, K. (2015). Breaking down a barrier: increasing perceived out-group knowledge reduces negative expectancies about intergroup interaction. European Journal of Social Psychology, 45(4), 401-408.

References

Blitz, L.V., Greene, M.P., Bernabei, S., Shah, V.P. (2014). Think creatively and act decisively: creating an antiracist alliance of social workers. Social Work, 59(4), 347-350.

Brooms, D.R., Perry, A.R. (2016) It’s simply because we’re black men: black men’s experiences and responses to the killing of black men. Journal of men’s studies, 24(2), 166-184

Godsil, R.D., Tropp, L.R., Goff, P.A., Powell, J.A. (2014). Addressing implicit bias, racial anxiety, and stereotype threat in education and health care. The Science of Equality, 1, 1-84.

References

Havranek, E. P., Hanratty, R., Tate, C., Dickinson, M., Steiner, J., Cohen, G., & Blair, I. (2012). The effects of values affirmation on race-discordant patient provider communication. Archives of Internal Medicine, 17, 1662–1667

Keroman, B., Freundlich, M., Lee, J.M., Brenner, E. (2012). Learning while doing in the human services: becoming a learning organization through organizational change.

Administration in Social Work, 35, 234-257

References

Luger, L. (2011). Enhancing cultural competence in staff working with people with drug and alcohol problems: a multidimensional approach to evaluating the impact of education. Social Work Education, 30(2), 223-235

Penner, L.A., Hagiwara, N., Eggly, S., Gaertner, S.L., Albrecht, T.L., Dovidio, J.F. (2013). Racial healthcare disparities: a social psychological analysis. European Review of Social Psychology, 24(1), 70-122.

Any questions ?

You can email me at

◉ yiwenchen95@gmail.com

Interested in getting involved with police reform efforts? Email:

◉ info@naswoh.org

Thanks!