Brionna Denby is presenting on a panel about the impacts of unconscious biases and stereotypes and how they lead to discrimination and lack of opportunity for underrepresented groups at Centerforce’s Diversity in Law Series: Driving Diversity in Law & Leadership.
It’s More than a Feeling: Busting Stereotypes and Unpacking Unconscious Bias
The chances are extremely high that during your lifetime you have felt the impact of unconscious bias. To complicate matters, as human beings, every one of us has biases that we may not be aware of. That doesn’t make the effect any less dismissive or dehumanizing to the target. Whether discrimination comes from overt prejudice or unconscious bias, underrepresented groups and women are not receiving equal opportunities or treatment when it comes to landing in-house counsel positions, earning promotions, or making partner in a law firm. In fact, the impact of unconscious bias can too easily be underestimated and even rationalized. How can we identify our own unconscious biases/microaggressions and those of others? The panel, including Brionna Denby, Anne Kamosso, Olivia Fines and Alyssa Moore, will explore:
- How to do a moral inventory
- Recognizing and resolving the commission of microaggressions: the power of language, institutional bias, Iignorance, and education
- How to approach: managers, peers and direct reports