by Vanessa Leung ’25
Don’t think you’re biased? Take the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to find out!: Harvard Implicit Association Test
Racism is defined as the prejudice and discrimination against a certain group based on their racial or ethnic profile. As an immigration melting pot, racism runs rampant in the United States, and no one is immune from it. From gentle discomfort towards an ethnicity to tragic mass shootings killing innocent lives, racism may have become a stigmatized term in society, but that doesn’t mean that it has disappeared from our lives completely.
The origins of racism are complex, with roots that reach back to the Atlantic slave trade to recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Their existence may be just another page in a history textbook, but their impacts are profound. While most deny it, it is common for people to be racist; in fact, most psychologists believe that everyone is unintentionally racist. Psychologists believe that the causes of racism not only stem from history but also from cognitive biases that influence our brains.
The most common cognitive biases believed to cause racism is the “in-group bias”, the “just world fallacy” and “implicit” bias. In-group bias is when people prefer others with similar physical appearances over others, “out-groups” and is most often linked to the causes of racial discrimination. It is the human tendency to sort things into groups, and a survival instinct throughout history to perceive those who are in “your group” to be safe. Thus, the “us vs. them” idea often originates from a feeling of threat and danger, leading to prejudiced thinking and actions. The just world fallacy is when one believes in a justified world where the good receives good and the bad receives bad. However, upholders of this fallacy are also found to support police violence and lowering the ages of criminal responsibility for crimes committed by black teenagers. Lastly, the implicit bias might be best described with the phrase “we don’t know what we don’t know.” This is a form of prejudice that occurs unintentionally and unwittingly yet affects our thoughts and actions nevertheless.
Another key contributor to our unintentional racism is our exposure to the world. Negative stereotypes, cultural myths, and racist beliefs that get introduced to us when we are young can easily influence our mindsets and create a biased viewpoint. Fear and ignorance of unfamiliar ethnic groups can also lead to negative attitudes towards certain groups.
St. Mark’s brands itself as a diverse, antiracist community. The school has worked extensively on developing its antiracist program in many areas of community life including affinity groups, and initiatives from the C&E office. Multiple affinity groups have been created to accommodate our diverse and unique student body, which creates safe spaces for students identifying in the group to freely express themselves. The C&E office has also created C&E day and Umoja, a talent show dedicated to the celebration of different cultures by showcasing our identities through performances such as dancing, singing, and more. To know more, visit Antiracism - St. Mark's School.
Those are all great ways to establish an inclusive environment in our school, yet there are also more aspects that St. Mark’s can do to live up to its name. To become an antiracist school, each of us must first acknowledge the presence of racism. As mentioned earlier, most people are informed about racism but don’t, and would prefer not to identify with it. People are naturally biased, and students should accept their prejudices and be open to them. Racism shouldn’t be a sensitive topic shunned to the sides and should be mentioned more frequently in the community to promote awareness in our daily lives. Understanding your susceptibility towards something can greatly change your actions. St. Mark’s should also take advantage of its diverse community by encouraging the diverse cultures of their students. The Lion Dance performance this year was a wonderful peek into the culture of Lunar New Year celebrations, and more showcases of other cultures should be encouraged in ways such as videos shown during school meetings.
Virtually everyone is biased and prejudiced, for it is impossible to have a completely impartial view. However, we shouldn’t be discouraged by this reality or give up on our attempts. Instead, this should be a sign to heighten our awareness of the pervasiveness of racism and take further steps to fight it.
