It is absolutely impossible for any of us to be socialized in the United States and to escape internalized racism, often also referred to as implicit bias for race.  

Internalized racism can take two forms.  First, it can refer to people of color “internalizing” or turning inward the  biases that are against them.  These are the rips and tears in one’s own self esteem and self worth caused by living in a system that works against you.  Internalized racism also refers to the absorption of a set of biases that people who are not of color pick up through society against people of color.  These biases, when acted upon, contribute to the inequities of society and harm people of color (Race Forward, 2020).

It is important to note that having implicit bias is not the fault of any individual. We cannot help what society teaches us.  However, as educators, we do need to make the effort to become more aware so that we can help dismantle these biases that work against our students. 

If you are interested in measuring your own implicit bias, you can take Harvard’s Implicit Bias Test for Race.   At this site, you will also find additional tests to test your implicit bias for other issues such as gender, age, etc.