Reflective Writing Assignment
Participating in the Implicit Association Test (IAT) opened my eyes to crucial personal biases. My IAT test focused on three different factors: race (skin tone), religion (Arab Muslims vs. other individuals), and ethnicity (Asian Americans vs. European Americans). The crucial result involved a moderate automatic preference for light-skinned Black individuals compared to dark-skinned Black people. Further findings showed a moderate preference for Arab Muslims over other individuals and, lastly, a slight preference for Asian Americans over European Americans. One surprising result that confirmed my bias was skin tone. My background has often been inclined toward colourism, especially through cultural experiences connected to Pakistan and Chinese communities. Growing up, I could see relatives show clear preferences for lighter skin, with comments like "You look dark today." This was common, especially with uncommon admiration for celebrities with pale complexions. Most cultures associate lighter skin with beauty and sometimes purity. While darker skin is seen as less desirable, I did not consider such standardization of colorism as challenging at that age. Looking back now, I can not imagine how it might have felt.
Moving forward, I believe that as a future public health professional, understanding these implicit preferences is crucial to addressing the inherent real-world disparities in public health. Bias, even when unconscious, is still damaging to our practice, especially while interacting with the patient and the community as a whole. The IAT test is a reminder to me to challenge the internalized narratives I grew up with. I want to specifically address colorism and other biases in my mindset and professional setting, as well as to advocate for inclusive and equitable approaches to public health.
