Most racial disparity stems from well-meaning people’s unconscious bias, not explicit hatred

Evidence

Few of us are naïve about the role of structural inequality, which is linked directly to our country’s history of racism and hostility to groups based upon ethnicity (Powell, 2016). However, research, as well as current day-to-day experiences, shows that underlying structures are not the only source of harm; interpersonal dynamics matter (Godsil & Richardson, 2017). It may seem as though interpersonal dynamics linked to race are animated by explicit bias—which clearly exists within the CJS as well as within the larger society (Hoerner & Tulsky, 2019). Decisions and behavior animated by conscious contempt or hatred should obviously be subject to immediate sanction. But those incidents—hate filled and harmful as they are—are likely to account for only a small portion of the overall levels of difference linked to race and ethnicity. Rather, the most consequential challenge is when people who want to be and consider themselves fair make decisions, have reactions, and engage in behaviors influenced by unconscious processes that are themselves shaped by noxious stereotypes linking some groups to criminality and others to innocence (Godsil et al., 2014). — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1353

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Connects to the reader’s interest in mechanisms of unequal outcomes — parallels the implicit-bias mechanisms underlying social disparity themes in their curated libraries.
• XREF: connects to: Unconscious racial bias measurably degrades medical treatment for black patients. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1247; Unintentional racial microaggressions flow from well-meaning whites who deny their own bias. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1254