racial bias
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Study Finds Racial Bias in Voice Recognition Software Used by Largest Tech Companies
A common misconception equates the use of correct English with “talking white.” It’s a false and toxic notion, but that doesn’t necessarily mean “talking white” or “talking black” aren’t actual things. Perhaps it just has more to do with tone and pitch than it does word choice or pronunciation. How easy is it for you…
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Your Racism Is Showing: Coronavirus and the Racist History of Pandemics
“There are some members of the Trump administration who continue to refer to [COVID-19] as the ‘Wuhan virus,’ and I think this continues to perpetuate this very strong link between Asian people more generally or Chinese people more generally and the virus itself…And this tendency to kind of shift it, to reduce it to this…
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Austin Police Still Disproportionately Arrest Black and Latinx Motorists, Despite Attempts to Address Racial Disparity in Policing
Black people make up only 8 percent of Austin, Texas’ adult population, yet comprise a quarter of all motorist arrests, a new report from the city government finds. The study (h/t CNN) analyzed traffic stops and arrests for black, Latinx, white, and Asian drivers, finding that black and Latinx drivers were overrepresented in stops and…
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As I Say, Not as I Do: Parents of All Backgrounds Say They Want Diverse Schools, but Their Choices Are Still Rooted in Bias
Privileged parents say they want their children to attend integrated schools—but their choices tell a different story. That’s what a study published by Harvard Graduate School of Education this week reveals. As the education blog The 74 reports, the new study found across all demographics, parents tended to agree that racial and economic integration in…
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Tulsa Hires First Black Police Chief, Criminal Justice Reform Advocates See More of the Same
It was a decision that Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum called “one of the most important” he could make during his tenure: appointing the next chief of the Tulsa Police. The department has been beleaguered with claims of racism since long before the high-profile 2016 killing of Terence Crutcher at the hands of then-Tulsa, Okla., cop…
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NY Attorney General Letitia James to Probe Whether NYPD Targets Black People for Subway Fare Evasion
In a statement released Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced her office would be investigating the NYPD over allegations its officers have illegally targeted black and brown commuters on the city’s subway system. James’ probe is the latest development in the city’s effort to crack down on fare evasion on the transit system—a…
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Federal Study Confirms Racial Bias in Facial-Recognition Systems. Which, Yeah, We Know
A federal study released Thursday shows that facial recognition technology used by law enforcement misidentified people of color more often than white people. In other news, water is indeed wet. The Washington Post reports that a study conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the federal lab that develops standards for emerging technology,…
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21-Year-Old Florida Man Jailed for Missing Jury Service Has His Record Cleared—Now That He’s Experienced the Trauma of Prison
A 21-year-old Florida man who was locked up for 10 days for missing jury service had the rest of his sentence vacated and his record cleared Monday. Originally, Deandre Somerville was looking at a year of probation and 150 hours of community service, in addition to the 10 days he spent in jail, after a…
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Florida Judge Sentences 21-Year-Old to 10 Days in Jail for Missing Jury Duty
Talk about getting an “n-word wake up call”—to quote legendary comic Paul Mooney. A young black man, who said he overslept and missed jury duty, got the book thrown at him. Whether or not we are now considering missing jury duty a crime, a judge in Florida says it is—and it’s punishable by law. 21-year-old…
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'Black Nonsense': Pennsylvania State Police Says Its Officers Did Not Racially Profile Black Driver
Pennsylvania State Police, investigating one of their own for allegations of racial bias, have (surprise!) cleared themselves of any wrongdoing. The incident in question took place on July 8, when two white state troopers pulled over Rodney Gillespie’s car after he briefly crossed over the center lines of a narrow, winding two-lane road. After state…