Like you, everyone here at We Are Planet Hope has been moved & motivated by the critical conversations that the killing of George Floyd has ignited, not just in the US, but here in Canada and around the world.  

Research says we can reduce racial biases. While the process takes time, being aware of these biases and having uncomfortable conversations are some of the most important steps.

As a start, we took Harvard’s Implicit Association Test (IAT) to uncover our implicit biases. If you’re interested in taking it too, here’s a link...

What is the Harvard IAT?

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a racism self-measuring tool promoted by “Project Implicit”, a nonprofit based out of Harvard University. This popular test has been around for over 20 years; 17M+ people have taken the IAT to shed light on their hidden attitudes and beliefs.

Is the IAT accurate?

It turns out that the IAT is not as accurate as we’d like. Even the Harvard researchers agree! There are a lot of factors that skew the results, leaving test-takers without a concrete answer.

So then why take it?

Despite the test having inaccuracies, it can be a helpful starting point. Identifying our implicit biases is challenging. It requires a lot of self-awareness and education. This test helps by giving us ideas about biases we didn't even know we had! And start taking action to work against them.

Is the IAT related to behaviour?

According to a growing body of research — and the Harvard IAT researchers themselves — the IAT is not perfect for predicting individual biases based on just one test. Results are impacted by a person’s:

• Ability to process information quickly
• Desire to want to create a good impression
• Mood
• Etc.

We decided to take the test a few times to get the most accurate results.

Our End-Point

Harvard's IAT is clearly not the answer to systemic racism. However, it's a good place to begin to self-reflect. As we continue to educate ourselves, we will keep having difficult conversations, support Black organizations and amplify Black voices.