Unconscious Bias Puts Blacks' Lives at Risk

Researchers have discovered there may be an unconscious bias that influences the way some doctors care for their black patients. According to a new Harvard study, no research has yet examined why blacks fail to receive the same life-saving treatments as their white counterparts. Previous research materials place blame for health disparities on doctors, hospitals and insurance plans, but racial bias was not considered as a causal factor prior to Harvard's latest study, in which trainee doctors in Boston and Atlanta took a 20-minute computer survey designed to detect overt and implicit prejudice. They were presented with the hypothetical case of a 50-year-old man stricken with sharp chest pain. In some scenarios the man was white; in other scenarios, he was black. How did this influence the doctors' treatment choices?  Read more.

Read one DiversityInc reader's letter about how bigotry can manifest itself in physical ailments. Even the White Guy admits he couldn't have said it better himself. (See also: Our Best Response From a Reader in 10 Years)

Why Are Women Wary of Hillary?

Democratic presidential hopeful New York Sen. Hillary Clinton may be making inroads with female voters, but she has yet to convince some skeptics, especially older and/or married women, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The poll found that overall, women tend to agree with Clinton's stance on the issues and see her as a strong leader and a positive role model, but 40 percent of voters view her unfavorably. Neither men nor women fully trust that she is saying what she really believes, the poll found, and some voters are confused by her message. Clinton has attempted to downplay her gender at times, but she has highlighted it at others. How is this affecting people's opinions of her? Read more.

Clinton has the most people of color on her campaign of any of eight major presidential candidates--five Democrats, three Republicans--in 2008. Which candidate has an all-white staff? Read Whose Presidential Campaign Is Worst for Diversity? to find out, and for more on all the candidates' views on issues important to DiversityInc readers, see More Election '08.

Detroit NAACP Lashes Out at State Supreme Court

Should you need photo identification to vote? Members of the Michigan Supreme Court feel it should be required since most citizens have proper photo identification. Earlier this week, the court ruled in favor of requiring Michigan voters to provide proof of their identification prior to voting in order to prevent voter fraud. They're also requiring those citizens without photo identification to sign a written affidavit, but according to some advocacy groups, including the Detroit branch of the NAACP, the ruling violates citizens privacy rights. The NAACP branch is standing by the 1997 ruling made by Attorney General Frank Kelly, who said the photo-ID law is an unconstitutional burden on voting in violation of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. As a result, voters may become discouraged by the ruling and decide not to vote, but the Michigan Supreme Court stands by their argument, contesting that photo identification will help maintain the accuracy of election results. What do you think? Read more. (Login is required to read story)

Voting System Overhaul Delayed Until 2012

What should have been resolved by 2008 will take another four years to fix. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have decided to put the brakes yet again on revamping the nation's voting systems. Why? Some aides say state and local officials felt pressure to implement changes on time. While overhauling the voting systems before next year's presidential election used to be a top priority, it has taken a back seat to other issues, particularly because of the extra workload involved in preparing for the 2008 presidential primary season, says Sen. Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. "My sense is there's no way to get this thing in place by the election of 2008," says Feinstein. "Without adequate time, we could cause real problems in the election." House and Senate members were supposed to try to revamp the voting system to allow greater accountability and be certain that all votes registered on computerized touch-screen systems were counted. Some Senate Democrats say the extra time could help increase their chances of winning enough Republican support to put the changes into law. Read more.

Feds Probe Racist E-Mail

A racist e-mail received by the Connecticut state police is currently under internal and federal investigation. The e-mails have since been sent to the director of the state forensic lab and employees he oversees, including troopers and civilians, but it's still not clear where the e-mails originated. The materials, which were originally sent earlier this year, contained a photograph and video e-mailed to private accounts. The photo is of a black man lying on a street surrounded by pieces of watermelon and a bucket of chicken, while the video shows a young white girl spewing racial slurs. The state chapter of the NAACP called for a federal investigation of possible civil-rights violations states The Houston Chronicle. 

Dealing With Religion at Work

Managing different moral and religious values at work can be challenging. Americans are protected by the Civil Rights Act, which gives us the freedom to openly practice religion in the workplace, but for some employers and employees, religion is a subject matter they would prefer to seldom be discussed. In some business settings, discussing one's religion is often considered too personal and an unnecessary topic of conversation. Read more.

For more on religion in the workplace, read DiversityInc's upcoming Nov./Dec. 2007 issue

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