1153. How to Wake Up to Unconscious Biases

“I have always been very vocal about sharing my black experience with my friends and family members, and as I’ve mentioned, I have been a natural leader in bringing people together. So, I decided to go public with my own video about what it’s like raising black boys in this country, and what some of the experiences are that we go through, as well as the talks I have to have with my boys to keep them safe. That video ended up with 20,000 views within two days on Facebook–all organic. It was just off the cuff: I set up my phone and started speaking. Lieutenant Governor Cox, who was then running for governor of Utah, got wind of the video. His campaign reached out and said he and his running mate for Lieutenant Governor, Henderson, had seen my video and wanted to come chat. They came over, along with now First Lady Cox, and I was very frank with them. I said, ‘I know you are a politician and I’m sure that you have an angle–I’m not here to play that game. However, if you are going to help get the message out in a good way, that I can get behind. I began sharing some of the stories and experiences of my family and we ended up with this deep connection and became very good friends. Once they won the election, they commissioned me to serve on Project Gateway: Equity and Opportunity Commission for Utah.”

Aundrea DeMille is the author of “Is It Racism? How to Heal the Human Divide.” She’s an International Keynote Speaker, Trainer, and Podcast Host of The Wake Up Stories. She is a business owner with years of study in diversity and inclusion and has a degree in community health and human services. She has been appointed to serve on Project Gateway: Equity and Opportunity Commission for Utah. Aundrea is a maker of men (she has 5 boys), lover of peanut butter and hater of chocolate. She feels most like herself when she is barefoot and connected to nature.