Smithsonian’s ‘Bias Inside Us’ exhibit set for first Alabama visit

Smithsonian’s ‘Bias Inside Us’ exhibit set for first Alabama visit

A Smithsonian traveling exhibition that studies implicit bias will make its first visit to Alabama in April.

“The Bias Inside Us” will be staged for a four-week run at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville from April 24 through May 20, the city of Huntsville announced Monday. The exhibit is being hosted by the city’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

The announcement comes two days after the Alabama Republican Party passed a resolution seeking to abolish “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion bureaucracies and policies in public institutions.”

The city’s announcement described the exhibit as exploring “the social science and psychology of implicit bias, the impact of this bias and what people can do about it.”

According to the HudsonAlpha website, “The community engagement project from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) features six sections: Introduction, The Science of Bias, Bias in Real Life, Serious Consequences—Bias is All Around Us, #RetrainYourBrain and Personal Reflection.

Mayor Tommy Battle and HudsonAlpha President Neil Lamb will discuss the exhibit at the formal announcement on Thursday.

There is no admission charge for the self-guided tour of the exhibit. The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. On Tuesdays, the exhibit will remain open until 7 p.m.

“Visitors will participate in a self-guided tour exploring the foundational blocks of bias, the psychology of how bias forms and how it influences behaviors both consciously and unconsciously,” the HudsonAlpha website said.