The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

One time I was interviewed for a job over the phone.  After being selected and moving to the new location, I in processed at the human resource office.  I was welcomed and a call was made to my new supervisor to tell her that I had arrived and to come meet with me in about 30 minutes.  As I was finalizing the paperwork, my new supervisor walked in said hello to me and the human service staff.  Then she stated, “I am here to see the new manager, Mrs. Patricia Harris.  She was told you just walked by her.  Granted, I was stunned, as I was the only new person in the office and she knew everyone else.

I took this as being bias to my race and an example of micro-insult as the only contact that I had with my new supervisor was through telephonic communication.  From her expression on her face, after she was told that she had just walked by me, it was clear that she was looking for someone other than a African American Female.

My initial thought was that she was not aware that she had hired an African American Female for the management position and that she was embarrassed that she had assumed that I was of another race.  Given that fact that I had been told in the past that when I am on the phone I do not sound like I am of the African American culture/race.  It is often hard to actually see what we are doing until someone calls it to our attention, (Derman-Sparks & Ewards, 2010, p. 94)

I like what Dr. Eugene Garcia, (2011) had to say in the course media, “We’re all diverse individually.  We walk in many worlds.  We wear many faces.  So diversity is just part of what we are and what we all are.  So we shouldn’t fear it.” Although I did not feel offended, this encounter left me with a learning experience of how not to be quick to judge people by the sound of their voice and form an opinion of what they may look like once you come into physical contact.

Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J.  (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves.  

          Chapter 3. p. 23 & 25).

Laureate Education, 2011. Course Media, In His OwnVoice: Dr. Eugene Garcia, Perspectives of Diversity
          and Equity.