Virginia health commissioner says most whites are unconsciously 'anti-black'

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Solid reporting from @vcucns.

Virginia's health commissioner is facing an internal backlash after writing a letter on the Northam controversy that said white people have an unconscious "anti-black" bias.

Link to tweet

Health commissioner says most whites are unconsciously ‘anti-black’
By Capital News Service -February 14, 2019

By Kaytlin Nickens/ Capital News Service

The commissioner of the Virginia Department of Health faces backlash after stating that most white people are unconsciously “pro-white” and “anti-black.”

Dr. Norman Oliver’s remarks came through a weekly message last week sent to VDH employees. Oliver, who is African-American, was addressing the controversy over the discovery of a racist photo on Gov. Ralph Northam’s page of his 1984 medical school yearbook. The picture showed a man in Ku Klux Klan garb beside another in blackface.

“Unfortunately, as I know from my own research prior to joining VDH, the majority of whites (and a number of African Americans) are implicitly, that is, unconsciously, pro-white and anti-black,” the letter stated. “We have a great challenge ahead of us to increase awareness of our unconscious racial biases and find ways to mitigate, reduce, or eliminate them.”

In a follow-up internal message this week, Oliver acknowledged that his “weekly message” sparked comments from some offended employees.
....

Capital News Service

https://vcucns.com/

Capital News Service is a flagship program of VCU’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students participating in the program provide state government coverage for Virginia’s community newspapers and other media outlets, under the supervision of Associate Professor Jeff South.

[atreides1]

1. He might be right!

Or maybe it's just fear of someone different, fear of stereotypes created by media!

[hlthe2b]

2. What the hell is in the water there? Yeah, I know there is a long tradition of such beliefs, but

seems they were "restrained enough" not to voice it so publicly... Now, they just let the racism fly...
Geebus.

[underpants]

3. He really didn't have any business saying that in an official letter

There is no reason for him to include his opinion in an official letter. He oversees a state department that is meant to serve the Commonwealth, all of the Commonwealth.

We got an email from the Gov on Mindaybthanking is for our work. That was basically it. The head where I work has said nothing official because it’s not his place to. He did open up our first Black History Month lunch and learn to an open discussion about what was going on. He stated the facts, offered no opinion, and let the discussion go.

[elias7]

4. I do not disagree with what he says

But each generation grows up with less and less of it