As a community having these difficult conversations about race, there is a trend going on I want to name here today.

If there is a word or phrase people dont understand, instead of finding out what the word means, they immediately try to distance themselves from the word and shut down so the discussions and any steps toward progress end.

You know, kind of like when you say someone has a "racist" or "prejudiced" opinion, or that they are speaking from a place of "privilege." In my experience, if they are truly about making progress, an indicator is in their response to that accusation.

You will have some who say, "Yes, I have shown those beliefs and I am learning so that I can change them". There are others representing the majority that I have encountered who will take offense and shut down. They leave the room, dont return to the meetings, get very defensive and argue or stop talking all together. Can you all identify with this scenario?

Think back to a time when someone has said one of those words to a person, how do they usually react? I want to add that, to this day, I have NEVER seen a person who is racist, actually admit to being racist. So, lets see, I have brought up racist, privilege and prejudice are you feeling uncomfortable yet? If yes, please keep reading, stay with us.

One phrase I see being thrown around these days without people really knowing what it means is "implicit bias." Negative implicit bias can be harmful if gone unchecked, and even people with the best intentions have it.

Lets talk about it: Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner

According to the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, implicit bias is defined as:

Residing deep in the subconscious, these biases are different from known biases individuals may choose to conceal for the purposes of social and/or political correctness. Rather, implicit biases are not accessible through introspection.

The implicit associations we harbor in our subconscious cause us to have feelings and attitudes about other people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, and appearance. These associations develop over the course of a lifetime beginning at a very early age through exposure to direct and indirect messages. In addition to early life experiences, the media and news programming are often-cited origins of implicit associations.

Here are some points from an informative website: https://www.aperianglobal.com/3-steps-address-unconscious-bias.

Understand that it is normal: We as human beings are hardwired to prefer others who resemble us or have similar features. What makes biases "bad" is a lack of awareness regarding how they influence our decisions and impact others.

Identify the biases and how they impact your work: After you identify and name your biases, notice how it affects who you invite to meetings, who you speak to easily and whose opinions influence your decisions?

Broaden your viewpoint and educate others: When identifying a negative bias you may have, make a conscious effort to learn more about that idea, individual, or group to understand how and why it makes you uncomfortable.

I challenge you all to learn more about implicit bias. Take an online quiz from "Project Implicit" by Harvard University. It is an eye-opener to those who feel they dont have implicit bias and see all people as equals. If you know you have bias, it helps to see which ones require attention to be changed to decrease biased behavior.

Change can be good.

Niko Merritt is the founding executive director of Sankofa Community Connection in Newport. Her column, Unpopular Opinion, appears bi-monthly on newportri.com and in The Daily News.

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UNPOPULAR OPINION: We all yes, all of us have implicit bias - newportri.com