Like many this past week, I took the time to celebrate Memorial Day. Other than a great three-day weekend, Memorial Day was originally observed in the year 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices that Union and Confederacy soldiers endured during the Civil War. Ever since World War I, this day has become a celebration of honor for those who died in any war that America has been a part of and to also honor our veterans and those who currently serve in our military services.

Being what I call myself a “student of diversity,” I was curious to find out what, if any, Asian-Americans’ contributions were to the Civil War. Lo and behold, I found that there were 58 Chinese-Americans who actually served during that time, and because of their experiences at sea, they served in the U.S. Navy. Most of the 58 had come to the United States through means such as the slave trade, adoption by American families, immigrating on their own, or by the influences of missionaries. What’s interesting is that not all of them fought for the Union. Two influential Chinese-Americans who came to the United States that had their sons fight for the Confederacy lived in North Carolina and actually were slave owners.

Now I thought the same thing most of you are wondering – Chinese-Americans owning slaves? In today’s world, my question to them would be, “What were you thinking?” I just could not imagine that those of an ethnic race who were themselves discriminated against could even live in such a manner in which owning another human being was considered the norm. I guess I was being influenced by my “unconscious biases.” Unconscious bias refers to a bias that we are unaware of, and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences. We all live by, and our decisions are influenced by, these type of biases that even for myself as I read the article about Asian-Americans serving in the Civil War my thoughts and judgments about them were of disbelief, reservations and even some anger.

Understanding diversity can be a challenge if we let our unconscious bias take hold of what we really need to see in a situation and even in another person. I let my unconscious bias take over in not first examining the period in which those Chinese-Americans lived, how they came to own slaves of their own, and by letting my surrounding culture and personal experiences influence my judgment. I still don’t agree with their decisions but understand that they lived in the South, had money and, at the time, were totally influenced by their surroundings.

Ask yourself, how different would your life be if you lived in North Carolina during the Civil War? If you were a person of distinction, would you too be subject of your own unconscious bias? What’s happening today in our world and even here in the United States stems from many forms of unconscious biases. We live in a world where some individuals make quick judgments and decisions about a person’s color, ethnicity and even religion based on their own experiences and cultural background.

The recent event in Portland is an example. Two young women were sitting together on Portland’s Metropolitan Area Express, one wearing a hijab, the traditional head covering worn by some Muslim women to conceal their hair and neck. Unless you have been hibernating or choose not to read or see today’s news, the outcome of the incident resulted in two men dying from stab wounds received while trying to defend the women after one individual hurled epithets described by passengers as a “hate speech toward a variety of ethnicities and religions.” Do you believe that this certain individual was being influenced by his own unconscious bias? That person’s judgment seemed to be automatic, decided by his background and experiences, and a product of his environment.

But how about the men who came to the aid of the two women? Think about how their own unconscious biases played a major role in wanting to help. Just as the man who spoke the epithets, they were also influenced by the same automatic triggers in their brains to say to themselves that the situation was not right and that they needed to do something about it.

So let me now ask you: What are your biases? Are you biased toward tall or short people? Are you biased because of color or religion? Do you make decisions in which you would rather take the easy way out or because that’s the way it has been socialized throughout your life? One of the challenges for many of us is how to recognize and change our way of thinking. We sometimes callously feed our children information by using the crumbs that were left for us by others, mainly our parents and those who we surround ourselves with every day, but does that really make it right?

Diversity is often influenced by unconscious bias. Confront your biases and question yourself. When it comes to diversity, what will you do to impart change?

Gregory Baruso has lived in Federal Way for 15 years and has been a member of the city of Federal Way’s Diversity Commission for eight years; he currently serves as chair.