# data[].attributes.headline
How To Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them

# data[].attributes.subject
How To Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them

# data[].attributes.body
Vernã Myers points out that Americans have many biases and most likely do not even realize it and that causes a problem because they believe they don't need to change. Comparable to white privileges, biases against a race or gender are defaults of society about group. A single story about a certain group causes a bias towards the group as a whole, whether it be they are dangerous to they are incapable of completing a task solely based on their race or gender. Like many problems in modern American society the best way to get started would be to have Americans realize they have these unconscious biases and have to confront them to understand where they originated. As Daryl Davis has proved once someone or something has become common with a circle of comfort it no longer creates fear of the unknown.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Vernā Myers: How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our biases can be dangerous, even deadly - as we've seen in the cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, in Staten Island, New York. Diversity advocate Vernā Myers looks closely at some of the subconscious attitudes we hold toward out-groups. She makes a plea to all people: Acknowledge your biases.

# data[].attributes.body
Sojourner Truth highlights the similarities of all races and genders and rebuttals opinions that women don't deserve as much as men. During the 1800's race was a divider that was the main justification for unequal treatment. Being a black woman just put someone farther down the social ladder. In a world where differences were shunned instead of celebrated Truth "stepped up to the mic" to prove that her race did not make her less of a woman or less of a human than any other living being. Her attempt to create equality can be seen in Daryl Davis' fight to get behind hate and try to understand the bases of racism to then attack them and expose the weak defenses of that hate. Both activist are working to prove that even though the color of their skin is different they have more in common, with those who view them as less, than in contrast. Once connections are drawn and faults exposed topics of race and gender will be better understood of who people really are, beyond their race or gender, will be able to develop.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"I sell the shadow to support the substance." -- Sojourner Truth. Carte de Visite, circa 1864, in the collections of the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97513239/)

Born into slavery in 1797, Isabella Baumfree, who later changed her name to Sojourner Truth, would become one of the most powerful advocates for human rights in the nineteenth century. Her early childhood was spent on a New York estate owned by a Dutch American named Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh. Like other slaves, she experienced the miseries of being sold and was cruelly beaten and mistreated. Around 1815 she fell in love with a fellow slave named Robert, but they were forced apart by Robert's master. Isabella was instead forced to marry a slave named Thomas, with whom she had five children.

In 1827, after her master failed to honor his promise to free her or to uphold the New York Anti-Slavery Law of 1827, Isabella ran away, or, as she later informed her master, "I did not run away, I walked away by daylight...." After experiencing a religious conversion, Isabella became an itinerant preacher and in 1843 changed her name to Sojourner Truth. During this period she became involved in the growing antislavery movement, and by the 1850s she was involved in the woman's rights movement as well. At the 1851 Women's Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, Sojourner Truth delivered what is now recognized as one of the most famous abolitionist and women's rights speeches in American history, "Ain't I a Woman?" She continued to speak out for the rights of African Americans and women during and after the Civil War. Sojourner Truth died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1883.

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): Ain't I A Woman?
Delivered 1851
Women's Rights Convention, Old Stone Church (since demolished), Akron, Ohio

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.[1]

But Wait!
There is some controversy regarding Sojourner Truth's famous 'Ain't I a Woman?' Speech listed above. There are different versions of the speech. The popular 'Ain't I a Woman' Speech was first published by Frances Gage in 1863, 12 years after the speech itself. Another version was published a month after the speech was given in the Anti-Slavery Bugle by Rev. Marius Robinson. In Robinson's Version the phrase 'Ain't I a Woman' is not present.

Compare the speeches and decide yourself at the Library of Congress or at The Sojourner Truth Project. [2]

[1] This text is part of the Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
[2] This article first appeared on the Women's Rights National Historical Park website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sojourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman? (U.S. National Park Service)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Born into slavery in 1797, Isabella Baumfree, who later changed her name to Sojourner Truth, would become one of the most powerful advocates for human rights in the nineteenth century. Her early childhood was spent on a New York estate owned by a Dutch American named Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh.

# data[].attributes.body
The Slam Poem Black Women Steps Up to Mic gives a voice to those who have remained or have been silenced by or because of society. The struggle to speak up is identified to be a problem for women, especially woman of color who are spoken over or spoken for. A direct parallel to these modern oppressions was the decision Janie faced in Their Eyes Were Watching God whether to remain silent to her oppressive husbands. Janie's feelings of being spoken for or fear of the consequences of speaking her mind are the same that black woman are dealing with today. Remaining silent causes someone to bottle up their emotions and not express their true opinions, while speaking out could could have little results based on someone's race and gender. Though the fact of the matter is that everyone's voice should be considered precious and anyone should be able to speak their mind.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Women of the World Poetry Slam 2016 - iCon "Black Woman Steps Up to Mic"

# data[].attributes.headline
Not Quite Making It: After Decades of Affirmative Action, Women are Still Working for Less

# data[].attributes.subject
Not Quite Making It: After Decades of Affirmative Action, Women are Still Working for Less

# data[].attributes.body
The wage gap between men and women has long been disputed and even claimed to be a hoax, though evidence shows that women working the same job make about 75% of a man's salary. This trend has been going on for decades due to discrimination in the workplace. The problem is with the women earning the lowest incomes. The difference between having and not having a few thousand dollars has a greater impact on them and there is little room for advancement in those occupations such as low-level healthcare and clerical positions. Also single or women not married to a man are less likely to have the ability to afford a house because they are some of the lowest  total wage earners. The wage gap is not just affecting women either it is also present in the lives of Latino and African-American. The wage gap has improved a little since activists have brought the issue to light but the problem has not been resolved. In Their Eyes Were Watching God an example of gender discrimination would be that woman had specific roles such as cleaning and cooking causing them to be objectified because men saw that they had no place or ability to match them in the working world.

# data[].attributes.headline
The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement changed America. 

# data[].attributes.subject
The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement changed America. 

# data[].attributes.body
The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America refers to the women's equality movements most prevalent in the twentieth century. A fight that is still seen in modern America with race, gender, and social class. Women looking for opportunities in the twentieth century were in a similar spot to people of color. Both groups were discriminated against in the workplace because people believed they were not equal to white men and therefore had less economic opportunities. The people who participated in women's rights events wanted to encourage equality in the home and workplace by redefining gender roles as socially constructed and not biologically essential. The main issue was to prove that women could share the same tasks as men and therefore should be treated as such and have the same opportunities. The feminist movement is seen throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God with Janie trying to break barriers of what women could and could not do. An example would be when Tea Cake taught Janie how to shoot a gun and how she eventually developed into a better shot than he, proving the point that both genders should have a baseline of equality, with both still having their own strengths.

# data[].attributes.headline
Too Many Americans Think Patriotism Means Racism and Xenophobia

# data[].attributes.subject
Too Many Americans Think Patriotism Means Racism and Xenophobia

# data[].attributes.body
After the 9/11 attack on U.S. a racist and xenophobic panic took over Americans. This relates to Daryl Davis' study on racism and how ignorance and fear play off of each other. The danger of a single story also connects to these acts. By one act of terror most Americans stereotyped South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, and Arabs as terrorist committing violent crimes against those people. This modern event along with other acts of terror has tightened circles and tries to eliminate any foreign looking or speaking people even if they were fellow Americans. These actions have been seen throughout history when a certain group or nationality is targeted for their race and suppressed based on suspicion and a lack of understanding. Such as the actions towards Asians in America during World War II when they were imprisoned in internment camps.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, patriotism took on many masks and many faces. For some it meant planting flags in their front yards and cherishing the rights we enjoy in this country. For others it took on a flawed and dangerous form. Violence against South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, and Arab Americans skyrocketed in the weeks and months after 9/11. New government policies painted our communities with suspicion and guilt. The notion that patriotism and racism are synonymous was used against us after 9/11, and the horror has lasted 16 years, flowing and ebbing under Presidents Bush and Obama. That notion has only increased in fury under the Trump administration.

I was in New York on 9/11, working downtown not too far from the attacks. In the days that followed I feared for my safety for the first time in my life: not from planes nose-diving from the sky, but from assaults on the subway or on the street. These fears were not misplaced. The first shots fired after the attacks were on September 15 in Mesa, Arizona, when Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh gas station owner, was killed by Frank Silva Roque, a racist gunman who wanted to "go out and shoot some towel-heads." During his arrest Roque screamed, "I am a patriot! I stand for America all the way!" This is how he pledged allegiance to our flag.

Our communities experienced many ensuing acts of hate. In the first week after 9/11, 645 bias incidents nationwide were reported by media organizations. In the months that followed, our houses of worship were surveilled by the NYPD and other law-enforcement agencies, our rights were violated and our dignity stripped at airports, and our children were bullied in school and harassed on the Internet. Government policies such as the Patriot Act and the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System were implemented, the latter of which opened cases against 83,000 Muslims entering or living in the United States. The result of this vast ethnic profiling? Zero terrorism-related convictions.

Meanwhile, the body count in our communities has mounted. In 2012, a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, was attacked by a gunman who killed six people and wounded four others before taking his own life. In 2015, three young Arab students in North Carolina were murdered in their homes by their white-supremacist neighbor. In 2016, a Lebanese-American man was shot and killed on his own porch by a racist neighbor who had a documented history of anti-Arab hate. Related Article

In 2017, our communities are facing hate violence at levels that rival the aftermath of 9/11. The Trump administration-which is now implementing policies that mirror his bigoted rhetoric on the campaign trail-continues to roll out anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant policies that embolden hate groups to attack our communities. President Trump has test-fired several versions of the "Muslim ban," rescinded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and strongly supported the RAISE Act that seeks to slash immigration by 50 percent in a decade, as well as implementing other destructive policies. Since the presidential election, South Asian Americans Leading Together has documented over 150 incidents of violence against those who identify or are perceived as Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, South Asian, Middle Eastern, or Arab American, already surpassing totals from the year leading up to the 2016 election. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, anti-Muslim hate groups grew by 197 percent in 2016, and, according to the FBI, anti-Muslim hate crimes increased by 67 percent in 2015.

In February two Indian-Americans were shot by a gunman screaming, "Get out of my country." Days later a Sikh man was shot on his driveway in Washington State by an assailant screaming, "Go back to your country." In August a Minnesota mosque was firebombed in what the governor rightly declared an "act of terrorism." In May, Jeremy Joseph Christian, a known white supremacist, harassed a Muslim passenger on a commuter train in Portland. When three men tried to intervene, Christian stabbed two of them to death. Reminiscent of Roque's racism in 2001, Christian proclaimed at his arraignment, "You call it terrorism; I call it patriotism!"

After these attacks, the president remains silent. His silence is a clear signal to the Roques and the Christians of the world that white supremacy and Islamophobia are not only admirable, they are patriotic.

Our communities know that the highest form of patriotism is dissent: We have lived it for 16 years. We've spoken out when we've seen injustice, and we've crowded airports to protest an unlawful "Muslim ban." We've stood united with those from all faiths, colors, and backgrounds, against racism and division in Charlottesville, Boston, Berkeley, and beyond. We've stared down ACT for America-the nation's largest anti-Muslim hate group-and forced them to cancel nationwide Islamophobic rallies originally scheduled for September 9.

The toxic patriotism that hate groups have practiced for 16 years has brought our diverse communities together, anchored in a patriotism of love, not fear. This September 11, I will remember that this is the true patriotism-working with our communities to protect each other, and in doing so, to form a more perfect union.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Too Many Americans Think Patriotism Means Racism and Xenophobia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, patriotism took on many masks and many faces. For some it meant planting flags in their front yards and cherishing the rights we enjoy in this country. For others it took on a flawed and dangerous form.

# data[].attributes.headline
Why I, as a Black Man, Attend KKK Rallies

# data[].attributes.subject
Why I, as a Black Man, Attend KKK Rallies

# data[].attributes.body
Daryl Davis is a black musician who tried to understand where prejudice and hate comes from by sitting down with KKK members. What came from his research was that when an unknown or foreign entity enters a circle those in the circle tend to fear it no matter what race they are. This idea embodies the racism in modern America, summarized by Davis as ignorance breeds fear and fear leads to hate. These idea connects to the danger of a single story and events in Their Eyes Were Watching God. KKK members and those fearful of other races alike have hate that stems from ignorance and untrue reporting. Once someone encounters their fear and gets a conversation started it is seen that a mutual respect tends to take place and maybe, eventually hatred can be diminished and a friendship can take its place. That idea is a step forward from the events in Their Eyes Were Watching God. There was no communication to try and figure out the basis of the fear or hate and therefore there was no understanding leading to ignorance from both sides. Although to do what Davis did in that time period would have been much more dangerous even when Davis had a large possibility of being killed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why I, as a black man, attend KKK rallies. | Daryl Davis | TEDxNaperville

# data[].attributes.headline
The Real Racism Exposed by Hurricane Katrin

# data[].attributes.subject
The Real Racism Exposed by Hurricane Katrin

# data[].attributes.body
The devastated events that transpired in the wake of Hurricane Katrina reiterated the danger of a single story, in this case the danger of false reporting. In the affected area of New Orleans too little hurricane relief came too late. This was most likely due to over exaggerated news stories about violence inspired by a majority of the population being black. The racism exposed by Hurricane Katrina caused more people to die because they were unable to be evacuated because rescuers feared the stories of rape and shootings and it was clear more aid would have been supplied faster if the events happened in a white community. Hurricane Katrina a somewhat recent event in modern America unfortunately draws comparisons to the relief efforts after the Hurricane of 1928 in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Where the hurricane hit in the Everglades, with a majority of black inhabitants, no help was offered where in the bordering white towns bodies were separated by color so the white bodies could be buried respectfully and the survivors in the Everglades were forced to do it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ten years ago today, the presidency of George W. Bush took a fatal hit. Yes, the bog-down in Iraq hurt, but the most devastating single photo of his administration showed him looking out the window as his plane flew over Katrina-flooded New Orleans as he returned to Washington after vacationing at his ranch in Texas. Bush should have been on the ground, as he was in New York City soon after Sept. 11, 2001.

Left-wing mediacrats made that photo their poster for rich people not caring about poor people, or whites not caring about blacks. At a congressional hearing later in 2005, many New Orleans residents charged that racism caused delays in Katrina relief and rescue. They were right, but they misidentified the culprit.

Delays came partly because some politicians and journalists painted a portrait of impoverished, overwhelmingly African-American masses of flood victims resorting to utter depravity, randomly attacking each other as well as police and rescue workers dispatched to protect and save them. Black politicians denigrated black residents: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin spoke of "hundreds of armed gang members killing and raping people" inside the Superdome and said many of his constituents were in an "almost animalistic state." Police Chief Eddie Compass spoke of "little babies getting raped." Political organizer Randall Robinson said the "thousands of blacks in New Orleans ... have begun eating corpses to survive."

Even those who see cannibalism as benign don't think it happens after four days. It didn't take that long for media hysteria to spread. CNN's Paula Zahn spoke of "literally, people walking around in feces" and "bands of rapists going block to block." Her colleague, Chris Lawrence, raved about "mothers with their babies literally living in raw sewage ... helicopters are literally just completely surrounded the city ... people are literally dying at the Convention Center. ... There have literally been groups of young men roaming the city, shooting at people."

These stories, at best metaphorical but largely mendacious, literally led to good ratings. Facts had a hard time catching up. Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan later said four murders had occurred in the entire city during the week after Katrina hit, which made it an average week, but from press reports he thought "at least 40 or 50 murders had occurred." New Orleans Times-Picayune editor Jim Amoss later complained about "classic urban myth" and said that if media had been speculating about the behavior of "middle-class white people its hard to believe that these kinds of myths would have sprung up so readily."

When Wolf Blitzer on CNN at the end of Katrina week said, "Had this happened in a predominantly white community, the federal government would have responded much more quickly," he was probably right. Had politicians and reporters not made racist, false assumptions about black behavior, rescuers would not have thought their operations demanded military precaution rather than humanitarian speed. Had commanders not seen the need to arrive at the Convention Center with overwhelming force, in the media-driven expectation that residents would shoot at them, they would have been able to evacuate people from there a day earlier.

The New York Times was one of the exaggerators, but at least on Sept. 29, 2005, it reported that "the most alarming stories that coursed through the city appear to be little more than figments of frightened imaginations." Hype was not a victimless crime. It slowed down rescue work. Two patients died while waiting for evacuation helicopters grounded for a day by false reports of sniper fire. And yet, instead of emphasizing the need for accurate reporting, NBC's Brian Williams told his national audience that the hurricane would "necessitate a national discussion on race, oil, politics, class, infrastructure, the environment, and more."

George W. Bush came to New Orleans this past weekend. He's said that he could have done better a decade ago. Many reporters have not been so honest. If you're interested in more on this subject, you can read a book of mine that Thomas Nelson published a year after the hurricane hit: The Politics of Disaster: Katrina, Big Government, and a New Strategy for Future Crisis.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The real racism exposed by Hurricane Katrina

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ten years ago today, the presidency of George W. Bush took a fatal hit. Yes, the bog-down in Iraq hurt, but the most devastating single photo of his administration showed him looking out the window as his plane flew over Katrina-flooded New Orleans as he returned to Washington after vacationing at his ranch in Texas.

# data[].attributes.body
White privilege is a mainly unrecognized power of being the default setting of society. Being a majority of the population has benefited white people having a wide range of materials and opportunities tailored to their wants and needs. The minorities, on the other hand, are usually left out of these benefits and subconsciously discriminated against. A lack of awareness by the privileged causes a prejudice just as harmful as ouvert racism. The effects of the unaware create a problemsome life for those who do not receive the benefit of the doubt. Examples can be seen in job opportunities, criminal procedures, and most noticeable in modern society, advertisement. White privilege during the time period in Their Eyes Were Watching God was much more obvious and done consciously when only white bodies were to be separated from the masses of blacks and buried respectively in coffins.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recognizing white privilege begins with truly understanding the term itself.

# data[].attributes.body
A single story or a single type of story illuminates the danger of not being exposed to events in different types of stories, making someone think there is no diverse or overlapping cultures. These stories create fixed mindsets on important issues such as race. Without being exposed to multiple or diverse cultural writings a certain status quo is established creating stereotypical ideas about unfamiliar places or people. These ideas are what create tension by having a preconceived notion from one story heard about a race or nation that causes people from those races or nationalities to be grouped together when in reality a majority from a race or nation are more different than alike to the details from a story. This danger in modern society was also seen Their Eyes Were Watching God when Janie's grandmother insisted on the fact that she must get married in order to be safe from the cruel slave world she had gown up in The received message by Janie was that she would experience everything she would want, love, through marriage when this idea actually cost her years of her life and two men until she realized she could do things on her own.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.