The leadership of Local USA 829 is pleased to offer USA 829 members access to participate and complete Vernā Myers’ Exploring Unconscious Bias Training. This completely online (and free to you) training introduces the concept of unconscious bias and addresses the impact it has on building and retaining a diverse and inclusive workplace where people of all backgrounds can thrive. Throughout the training, you will be asked to look inward to better understand some of your own unconscious biases and learn to recognize and interrupt bias.
We hope that all of us in this union will consider taking the time to complete this training and invest in building a union, a community, and an entertainment industry that collectively confronts and interrupts biased thinking and actions.
The training is comprised of a total of 18 short chapters that build upon one another, and it has a run time total of 58.38 minutes. Videos include better understanding inclusion and diversity as well as videos exploring cultural competence, micro-inequities, and tips for interrupting biases.
Learning Objectives for the Exploring Unconscious Bias Course include:
- To deepen one’s understanding of diversity and inclusion
- To explore one’s own cultural diversity lens and how it shapes the way one sees the world and interact with others
- To become aware of what unconscious or implicit bias is and how the human brain functions
- To learn how unconscious bias can cause one to jump to the wrong conclusion, miss and misjudge others, and create exclusion
- To consider specific ways to counter one’s own unconscious biases
- To learn tips for interrupting bias when it happens
- To understand the importance of becoming actively anti-bias
Note that in order to successfully complete the training, you will have to watch at least 90 percent of the content, watch the videos in one sitting, and get a 90 percent on the final, brief 15-question quiz at the end of the training. Once you pass, you do receive a certificate recognizing that you completed the training.
If you are interested in taking this free training, please email National Director Josh Austin at jaustin@usa829.org. Once you email, you will receive more information (including a brief guide to self-register your account and/or any next steps to access and complete the training).
Get to know Vernā! Vernā Myers is an inclusion strategist, cultural innovator, thought leader, and social commentator. She’s well-known for her high-energy keynotes, her captivating insights, and her ability to help people bridge differences and connect more meaningfully. Vernā rose out of Baltimore’s working class to become a Harvard-trained lawyer and founder of The Vernā Myers Company. In 2018, Vernā took on the inaugural role of VP, Inclusion Strategy at Netflix where she now leads a diverse team of talent in curating and implementing strategies to integrate cultural diversity, inclusion, and equity into all aspects of the organization’s global operations. Vernā is the author of two best-selling books published by the American Bar Association: Moving Diversity Forward: Going from Well-Meaning to Well-Doing and What If I Say The Wrong Thing? 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People. Her inspiring TED talk, How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them has been viewed over 5 million times and translated into 27 languages. Her course, Confronting Bias on LinkedIn Learning has been taken by over 550,000 individual learners and was celebrated as one of the top ten courses in 2021. Read her complete bio here.