8 Ways Caucasian People's Implicit Racial Biases Continue to Oppress Black People

Black People Still More Likely to Go to Jail for Illegal Drugs As the recent string of tragedies that led to the Black Lives Matter movement proved, Black people are more likely to be perceived as criminals regardless of their innocence. This has caused many Black people to be stopped for suspected drug use while their white counterparts are rarely suspected of the same infraction. A 2011 study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive found that while white people were more likely to use illegal drugs, Black people were still arrested for illegal drug use at disproportionately higher rates. Longer Prison Sentences for Black Men According to a study by the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2012, Black men are not only far more likely to be perceived as criminals, but they also receive far longer sentences for the same crimes that their white counterparts have committed. The study revealed that Black men typically received prison sentences that were 20 percent longer than the sentences given to white men who were charged with similar crimes. Black Children More Likely to Be Perceived as Adults A UCLA psychological study confirms what the nation witnessed with the November death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland by police officer Timothy Loehmann. Tamir, the unarmed Black boy who was playing with a toy gun, was fatally shot by the officer. When Loehmann and his partner called for help, they reported that the suspect was 20 years old. The UCLA study confirmed that this perception is a part of the “prejudice and unconscious dehumanization of black people” that comes from racial biases. The study also revealed that white female college students saw Black and white children as equally innocent until the age of 9. At that point, Black boys were perceived as much older by roughly 4 1/2 years and assumed to be far less innocent than their white peers. Black Children Often Tried as Adults The perception of Black children as older and less innocent often results in much harsher sentences for Black youths because they are both perceived and tried as adults. A Stanford University study found that when white respondents believed the child on trial was Black they were far more likely to support “sentencing all juveniles to life without parole when they have committed serious violent crimes.” This study is also supported by the sheer demographics of juveniles being targeted by the justice system. Reports revealed that more than 90 percent of juveniles who have been sentenced to life without parole were male and roughly 60 percent were Black. White People More Likely to Support the Death Penalty for Black People Another 2012 Stanford study revealed just how severe racial biases were when it comes to the justice system. Not only were Black suspects far more likely to receive long sentences and be assumed to be criminals, but their white counterparts were far more likely to support the death sentence when a Black suspect was involved. “Our must startling finding is that many whites actually become more supportive of the death penalty upon learning that it discriminates against blacks,” the study’s authors wrote. White People Are Far Less Sympathetic to Black People Several studies found that white people, including white children, were far less likely to be sympathetic toward Black people or be concerned about their pain. One of the studies focused on children around the age of 7 and discovered that white children near this age began to “believe black children are less susceptible to pain than white children,” Salon reports. Another study noted the medical disparities that Black people face. The study found that emergency room personnel were less likely to give Black and Hispanic children pain medication even when their pains were described as severe. White People More Likely to Recall a 'Smart' Black Man as Being Light-Skinned Studies have long noted the different ways light-skinned Black men were perceived by white people when compared to Black men of darker complexions, but one 2014 study revealed just how deep this skin complexion bias goes. Regardless of a Black man’s actual complexion, he is more likely to be recalled as a lighter-skinned man by white people who perceived him as being intelligent and “educated,” according to a study by professors at San Francisco State University. An earlier study from 2006 also revealed that white people perceived lighter-skinned Black men as being more intelligent than their dark-skinned peers. Dark-skinned Black men with an MBA were found to be less likely to be hired than light-skinned Black men who only obtained a bachelor’s degree. College Professors More Likely to Mentor White, Male Students There is a common misconception that education and knowledge are all it takes to rid someone of their racial biases. A study of more than 6,500 college professors proved just how false this myth really was. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and New York University sent identical letters to more than 6,500 professors at 259 schools in 89 disciplines. The letters all requested mentorship from the professors but alternated the name that was used on the letter. Mei Chen would be perceived as an Asian female; Keisha Thomas would be perceived as a Black female, and Brad Anderson would be perceived as a white male. The study’s results found that professors were far more likely to respond to a student’s request for mentorship if the student was believed to be a white male.

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