Bias is a part of being human.

The exhibition and community engagement project “The Bias Inside Us” from the Smithsonian seeks to educate individuals on their implicit bias to help them understand and counter that bias. Through compelling images, interactives and powerful testimonials and visuals, “The Bias Inside Us” unpacks and demystifies the concept of bias.

Discovery Place Science, the leading hub for science learning in the Carolinas, is one of the few sites nationwide to host this unique community engagement project on implicit bias and has partnered with the following community organizations to share its commitment to equity work and disrupting bias in Charlotte: The Arts & Science Council (ASC), the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Community Building Initiatives (CBI), Confronting Whiteness, Levine Museum of the New South, Race Matters for Juvenile Justice (RMJJ) and United Way of Greater Charlotte.

As part of the exhibition, guests will:

• Explore the foundational blocks of bias—the psychology of how it forms and how it influences behaviors both consciously and unconsciously.
• Interact with elements that display how implicit and explicit bias shows up in the world—for example in product design, advertising, architecture and technology.
• Watch a series of videos that feature eight voices from diverse perspectives sharing their personal experiences with bias.

“The Bias Inside Us” is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Major support is provided by The Otto Bremer Trust.

Community Access Evenings
Discovery Place Science will host free* Community Access Evenings for “The Bias Inside Us” on the following Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.:

• March 16
  
• March 23
• March 30
• April 6

Disruptors of Bias in Charlotte**
March 30, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Featured panelists:

• Rev. Benjamin Boswell, Senior Minister at Myers Park Baptist Church
• Rev. Dr. JJ Flagg, Disability Leader and Activist
• Asher Knight, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth El
• Kass Ottley, Executive Director of Seeking Justice Charlotte
• DeLesslin "Roo" George-Warren, Artist and Citizen of the Catawba Nation
• Shannon Bauerle, Director of Project Enough
• Dr. Rosanna Saladin-Subero, Community Leader
  

*Free admission to this special exhibition; the rest of the Museum will be closed and not accessible. Exhibition content is developed for middle school ages through adults and advance ticket registration is required for the free Community Access Evenings.

**Access to the special exhibition is included with the Community Panel Discussion

Community Partner Organizations

The Arts & Science Council (ASC)
The Arts & Science Council serves as the designated "Office of Cultural Resources" for the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and six suburban towns by providing advocacy, cultural education programs, cultural planning, fundraising, grant making, public art, workshops and training for the cultural community. The organization combines resources from local and state governments with those of the private sector to maximize community impact throughout the cultural sector. www.artsandscience.org

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is one of America's leading urban public libraries, accessible and welcoming to all and serving a community of more than one million citizens in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Through 20 locations, targeted outreach and online, the library delivers exceptional services and programs with a mission to improve lives and build a stronger community. In short, we strive to be essential to our community. www.cmlibrary.org

• Community Read—March 21

Community Building Initiatives (CBI)
The Community Building Initiatives' mission is to give people and organizations the knowledge, skills, and courage to fight bias, remove barriers to opportunity and build a more equitable and just Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The acknowledgment and understanding of bias is central to the organization's purpose. www.cbicharlotte.org

• Public Equity Impact Circle—February 28
• Community Bus Tour—May 12

Confronting Whiteness
Confronting Whiteness is an anti-racist organization committed to educating and training people racialized as white to confront the destructive ideology of whiteness and its impact on individuals and our society. We seek to deepen individuals' anti-racist practice by inviting them to embark on an intentionally small-group journey of reflection, conversation, and transformation where they learn to see whiteness through the writings and films of black intellectuals, artists, leaders, and creatives and discover how to confront whiteness in their spheres of power and influence. www.confrontingwhiteness.com

• Confronting Whiteness Course

Levine Museum of the New South
Levine Museum of the New South builds a stronger, more equitable community by connecting people to Charlotte and each other through history, culture and celebration. The Museum's mission is to use history to realize the promises of a New South – a place of equity, opportunity and justice. They design exhibits and programs to foster empathy, ignite dialogue and inspire action. Recent projects that explore the social and systemic consequences of bias in a historical context include "What Is It Going to Take?" a digital program series created in response to the death of George Floyd. These discussions challenge participants to understand the history and contextualize a range of topics, from racism in policing to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. www.museumofthenewsouth.org

• HERstory Family Event—March 12

Race Matters for Juvenile Justice (RMJJ)
Race Matters for Juvenile Justice is a collaborative leadership group working within the Charlotte community to reduce disproportionality and disparate outcomes for children and families of color through institutional organizing, education and workforce development. RMJJ's mission is to build a collaboration of community stakeholders who will bring their constituencies to the table and partner in the Court's effort to reduce disproportionality and disparities. www.rmjj.org

United Way of Greater Charlotte
United Way of Greater Charlotte uses collective giving to advance economic mobility and racial equity, primarily through neighborhood-based, grassroots and responsive solutions. For more information, please visit www.unitedwaygreaterCLT.org.

Programmatic support provided by Foundation For the Carolinas