Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do

Eberhardt concludes by connecting all the ideas presented about law enforcement, education, neighborhoods, workplaces, etc. All of the issues presented in the book show how bias infiltrates every aspect of society. In this section, Eberhardt revisits the Oakland Police Department first discussed in the introduction. By making small changes, Oakland was able to “curtain bias among officers” and see big rewards (298). Officer injuries dropped by 70%, shootings dropped, and citizen complaints decreased. The section ends with a story about Eberhardt’s son Everett who, while riding his bike home as a teenager, watched as a jogging woman looked up, saw him, and veered off the path, despite there being plenty of room for both. He wondered if her actions may have been racially motivated. Eberhardt utilizes this story to tie all the stories in the book together and to double down on the capacity of people to reflect, grow, and evolve.