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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 14, 2019 03:29 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Malcolm Kenyatta |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Resolution Urging Implicit Bias Training for Government Employees and Contractors |
| Researchers have ranked Pennsylvania among the country’s top eleven most racially prejudiced states. Despite broad efforts to address discrimination, harassment and hate crimes in the Commonwealth, too many stories are reported in the media about racially-charged incidents occurring in the state, such as the April 2018 incident in which two men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks store while waiting for a business associate. This event, which later went viral sparking public outcry for change, ultimately led Starbucks to address implicit bias among their employees by implementing racial-bias training. Implicit bias refers to general attitudes or stereotypes which can affect an individual’s understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. Implicit bias can impact behavior and relationships, in addition to a wide scope of political and apolitical preferences. Often, implicit bias creates the foundation for overgeneralizations, which can ultimately lead to discriminatory practices. In the wake of the Philadelphia Starbucks incident, business and organizations began taking a closer look at ways to address implicit bias in the workplace through training designed to raise awareness of implicit and racial bias. Understanding that collective awareness breeds action, these trainings are designed to reduce bias and to spur individual and organizational change. In recognizing the sheer number of state and contracted employees in our state departments and agencies, my resolution calls for implicit bias training for all State and contract employees. This type of training will be a form of diversity education that will help individuals identify their unconscious biases and develop strategies to help counter stereotypes. Implementing implicit bias training will allow the Commonwealth to better understand, protect, and serve our employees and constituents. Join me in supporting legislation that will heighten our understanding of ourselves and each other, in order to build a safer State that is inclusive of all people. |