By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

With continued turmoil across the United States, a local pastor is continuing her conversation on race.

Yolanda Whiten is a pastor at St. James AME Church in Brighton. In June, she hosted an online event, Race Conversations: A Community Education Time, in which she invited leaders from the medical and computer science worlds to share their experiences of being a minority in their fields. Whiten has now scheduled the next event in the series, with the focus being on “implicit bias training.” It will take place on Thursday from 10am until 3pm, online.

Her special guest will be Dr. LaCreta Clark, a 19-year professor of Educational Leadership and Services at Saginaw Valley State, motivational speaker, administrative coach, and ordained Methodist preacher. During the event, Clark and Whiten will explore the awareness, practices, and implications of implicit bias. They will offer insights on how someone’s race, sex, age, and other characteristics influence the way we treat them, even when we are genuinely trying to be unbiased. The pair will explore the harmful side effects of how our brains naturally perceive, categorize, and draw influences about the world and other people. They will also examine when this type of bias is most likely to occur, and what practical steps can be taken to try to reduce or eliminate implicit bias. The afternoon workshop will filled with a mix of short presentations, activities, and discussion.

This event is free, but registration is required. Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/race-conversations-implicit-bias-training-tickets-118210435595