accountability. Collaboration between individuals can create an environment where it’s safe to discuss equity considerations, challenges developing equitable outcomes, and knowledge share between the better informed and less informed. Our humanness is important to our work. As individuals contribute to the Master Plan and other milestones for The Stitch, it’s important to be aware of an inherent element of the humanness: biases. The table below describes different biases and examples of how they manifest in approaches to our work. This deeper awareness can empower individuals to consciously support and sustain equity. Personal Bias Description Manifestation
Beliefs, opinions, and attitudes learned through personal experiences that can reinforce stereotypes.
• Assumptions about the lived experiences of the communities the project serves. • Assumptions about the vision or preferences of the communities the project serves. • Assumption about team members’ attitudes, opinions, or input on project decisions. • Small homogenous group of team members who meet and make decisions that align to their world view, to the exclusion of diversity of thought from the team.
Confirmation Bias Description
Manifestation
Selective use of information to support one’s preexisting beliefs, theories, or position.
• Filtering data analysis or editing data reports to tell a specific, predetermined narrative. • Filtering scenarios, alternatives, or similar proposals to align with a specific, predetermined vision. • Filtering input from the public and stakeholders to support a specific, predetermined narrative.
Technical Bias Description
Manifestation
Using professional education and experience to justify knowing what is best, to the exclusion of knowledge from other sources.
• Perceived risk in sharing technical information with the public based on the assumption they can’t/won’t understand. • Dismissing engagement as an exercise, instead of using public input as a source of information as valuable as professional education and experience. • Exclusion of equity and public engagement experts from technical meetings and decision- making based on the judgement these are “soft skills”.
Savior Complex Description
Manifestation
When a privileged majority attempts to help people of color who do not share the same privilege, but approach it in a way that reinforces a stereotype of their superiority, and offers more satisfaction to the individual attempting to help than the individual needing help.
• Using the term equity to appear politically correct or in-the-know, without understanding or supporting the work or changes that equity requires. • Using victimizing language like “vulnerable”, “disadvantaged”, and “poor” that disempower the communities referenced, and foster the
C-5
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