Be Aware of Your Identities and Combat Society's Biases
I am a white, cisgender, female, American citizen, private university student who comes from an upper-middle class, two-parent, suburban family household.
These are my on paper identities. How much can you already tell about me from this single sentence?
I’m sure you could assume a whole lot. Like how I’ve probably never felt the stress of not having financial security to fall back on if I mess up in life. I’ve probably locked my car doors every time I drove through a bad neighborhood. I probably swim through life most of the time completely unaware of my privilege that was given to me the moment I entered this world, based on things completely out of my control.
To be aware of the lenses I view the world through is the first step me and every other global citizen can take in order to combat unconscious bias.
Most of the odds (that society has inequitably constructed) were in my favor since I was born, and because of this I do not understand the experiences of those who do not have my privilege.
I do not understand what it is like to face society's built-in biases as a queer, latine person of color, or as a disabled elderly person or as a young black child. All I know is what I have experienced, so it my job to realize the holes in my perspective and fill them the best I can.
To speak is one thing, to act is another. If I really care about filling in the blind-spots of my point of view, I have to stand by that notion with integrity. I have to take action and responsibility for my own personal growth and the growth of the communities I am involved in.
Entering the design field with the identities I have, It is my intention to remain aware of my privileged situation and be sensitive to the situations of others as well.
By creating environments where everyone’s voices and opinions feel heard and valued, I can welcome in more equity to my workspaces.
All we have to do is listen ourselves and create platforms for voices to be risen up and listened to by more and more people from there. The more narratives we are exposed to, the closer and closer we will get to showcasing the truth of our world.
As designers, it is our job to showcase the authenticity, the true essence of a product, or an event or whatever we may be designing for in our work.
To be good designers, we must value that honesty and integrity of our work by educating ourselves and understanding as many varying perspectives as possible, to produce an end result that reflects the most whole truth.