The root of bias and its antithetical manifestation

Re: “Tyre Nichols, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and racism … or not,” Feb. 10 letter to the editor

I, too, may have reacted similarly to the first letter writer’s response to Terrance Carroll’s op- ed regarding the killing of Tyre Nichols and the stage adaption of “To Kill a Mockingbird” had I not pursued further reading and understanding of the African- American experience in America and the dynamics of racial bias. ( No doubt, as a white senior, I have much to learn.) Because wouldn’t it be common sense to assume the absence of racism in the death of a black man, Tyre Nichols, by police officers of the same race?

I expect most of us do not typically think racism or individual biases occur against people of the same race ( or, for that matter, the same gender). But research indicates that biases do occur in this way. Though an explanation for this is complicated, influences like incessant negative messaging, historical discrimination and oppression of Black people in America, and the struggle against hierarchal and caste- like obstacles create such a phenomenon. Isabel Wilkerson states in her groundbreaking book, “Caste,” surprisingly, “a third of black Americans hold anti- black bias against themselves.”

Expectations and assumptions about others of all demographics, even regarding people similar to ourselves, infest most of us. And certainly, as the writer suggests, improving the quality, training, and development of police officers is essential and should be a priority. But part of this development must include identifying, managing, and eventually eliminating one’s own personal biases and destructive behaviors. Without this shift by officers of all races, incidents of police brutality will continue to plague us. — Marc Lubline, Littleton