Socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell's Berkeley forum on race has spawned a forthcoming program to educate workers about implicit biases.
As a public response to racist treatment he endured at Berkeley's Elmwood Cafe in January, Bell appeared in conversation with Elmwood Cafe owner Michael Pearce and panelists including former Berkeley Alliance executive director Pamela Harrison-Small, Berkeley High Black Student Union president Kadijah Means and ACLU-Northern California Staff Attorney Novella Coleman on March 13 at Willard Middle School in Berkeley.
According to Berkeleyside, Pearce felt "ashamed" when he heard of Bell's treatment at his establishment. He terminated the waitress who had the encounter with Bell, who was given an apology letter from her at the forum but hadn't yet read it. "We don't want to scapegoat her," he said. "I wish she was here — I hope she still has a job. She's still in the community."
Pearce pledged to start a program to train local hospitality and retail industry employees about how to navigate implicit racial biases in society. Pearce is soliciting ideas for the program at info@implicitbiastraining.com and is asking help from national authorities including Race Forward.
Bell recently landed a new television series that will air CNN. United Shades of America will find Bell traveling to, the network says, "far corners of the country" to explore various subcultures and communities, putting himself in frequent fish out of water situations.
