‘The Bias Inside Us’ Comes to Huntsville

Recently, Huntsville has been on the center stage for a variety of awards, accolades, and important events. And, in the coming weeks, the city will mark a Smithsonian visit off of the list.

The traveling Smithsoinian exhibit “The Bias Inside Us,” is set to take place this spring at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. This will be the first time the exhibition will visit Alabama.

Hosted by the City of Huntsville’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, “The Bias Inside Us” is a free traveling exhibit that will explore the social science and psychology of implicit bias, the impact of this bias and what people can do about it. Slated for April 24 through May 20, the exhibit will be open to the public at no charge.

Visitors will participate in a self-guided tour exploring the foundational blocks of bias, the psychology of how bias forms and how it influences behaviors both consciously and unconsciously. The exhibit will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. Each Tuesday the exhibit will remain open until 7pm.

Through compelling images, hands-on interactive and powerful testimonials and videos, the exhibition unpacks and demystifies the concept of bias. The community engagement project from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) features six sections: Introduction, The Science of Bias, Bias in Real Life, Serious Consequences—Bias is All Around Us, #RetrainYourBrain and Personal Reflection.

Interactive elements display how implicit and explicit bias shows up in the world and how bias influences systems and policies that have consequences for many people and communities. Among the vid- eos in the exhibition is a series that features eight voices from diverse perspectives sharing personal experiences with bias.

The exhibition also features Spanish photographer Angélica Dass’ Humanae project, which reflects on the color of skin that challenges the concept of race. In this work, Dass documents humanity’s true colors through portraits, rather than the labels “white,” “red,” “black” and “yellow.”

“Bias is part of being human,” said Myriam Springuel, director of SITES and Smithsonian Affiliations. “Our goal through ‘The Bias Inside Us’ is to help individuals understand and counter their implicit bias and help communities thrive through conversation and greater understanding.”

“The Bias Inside Us” draws from the scientific research and educational work by psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji of Harvard University and Anthony G. Greenwald, professor emeritus at the University of Washington. They

By: Ashlyn Grey / Photos courtesy of The Smithsonian Institution

“The Smithsonian is committed to sharing those untold stories, and to helping communities everywhere confront our past in order to improve our future.” defined the term “implicit bias” through their work on unconscious and conscious mental processes.

“Since our founding, the Smithsonian Institution has explored the question of what it means to be an American. That means not only celebrating our accomplishments and achievements, but also confronting the entirety of our past as a nation and helping us remember the forgotten. The voices and stories of many of us were omitted from our national narrative, and we see the impacts of this systemic pattern in the challenges we face today,” said Secretary of the Smithsonian, Lonnie G. Bunch III.

“The Smithsonian is committed to sharing those untold stories, and to helping communities everywhere confront our past in order to improve our future. We want to ensure that we come together as a nation to understand bias, how it affects all aspects of our lives, and how we can identify and address it.”

As Americans, we share firm beliefs in equity, inclusion, and fairness. We at the Smithsonian are especially pleased to share this proj-

“Our goal is to help people understand and counter their implicit biases and build capacity in communities through resources to convene dialogue that will increase empathy and create more inclusive schools, workplaces, and communities.” ect – The Bias Inside Us – which confronts the issue of bias directly. Our project helps people to recognize their capacity for bias, to understand it as a scientific process, to learn ways to “check your bias,” and to counter its negative influences,” Bunch continued.

Major support for “The Bias Inside Us” is provided by the Otto Bremer Trust. Meta is the local sponsor of the exhibition.

“The Bias Inside Us” is based on an original concept developed by Tolerance in Motion: Steve Lear, Laura Zelle and Elyse Rabinowitz, founders; Ellen Glatstein, Laura Lipshutz, Alice Randall, Joanne Jones-Rizzi and Susan Shapiro, directors; Don Shelby, founding advisor; and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, Steve Hunegs, executive director.

“The Smithsonian Institution is committed to leading and encour- aging civil dialogue on important issues facing our nation. The Bias Inside Us is a community engagement project and exhibition. Our goal is to help people understand and counter their implicit biases and build capacity in communities through resources to convene dialogue that will increase empathy and create more inclusive schools, workplaces, and communities. The project includes a 1,500 sq. ft. exhibition on display for four weeks in each community, free of charge, and is designed to be the centerpiece of local activities. The exhibition allows for in-depth programming with time for surrounding communities to access the exhibition and its resources,” said The Smithsonian in a public statement online.

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 65 years.

SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For more information, including exhibition descriptions and tour schedules, visit sites.si.edu. w