This post was authored by Hayley Roberts, Program Associate, Campaign for Black Male Achievement at Open Society Foundations and member of the EPIP-NY Steering Committee. It appears here as part of the EPIP-JAG blogging partnership, “Wit and Wisdom”.   For many the “not guilty” verdict handed down in the George Zimmerman trial this summer came not as a shock but as a confirmation that prejudice and racial bias continue to have a very real effect on the way our criminal justice system operates. Others did not understand how accusations of racism could be cast from a seemingly “color blind” trial. This interview with Rachel Godsil of the American Values Institute breaks down the research behind the understanding of implicit bias and how it changes the way we perceive others, even in spite of our best intentions. Though implicit bias can hamper the progress of individual racial relations, it is important to note that the very act of acknowledging one’s own bias can make a huge difference. (more…)