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Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, a book by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, is the topic of two free virtual FOCUS discussions during Black History Month. The discussions will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, February 22 at noon, and on Thursday, February 24 at 6 PM. Interested persons can register at www.nepdec.org.

According to Cindy Biesecker, President of the Northeastern PA Diversity Education Consortium (NEPDEC), “Our mission is to create a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in our work settings and in our communities through education. The FOCUS discussion will encourage participants to Find Opportunity for Clarification, Understanding and Symmetry.”

The reading and discussion groups are the product of a collaboration among NEPDEC, the Lackawanna County Library System, and the Luzerne County Library System.

Erica Acosta, NEPDEC board member and program chair, says that “Blindspot addresses implicit bias, racism, the hidden cost of stereotypes and the importance of aligning our behavior with our intentions.”

Participants with a Lackawanna County Library card can borrow the ebook for free during the month of February from the Northeast Pennsylvania Digital Library on the Libby app. Library card sign-up is free at https://lackawanna.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/register or at any Lackawanna County Library.

Participants from Luzerne County can borrow the eBook for free during the month of February on the Cloud Library app with a Luzerne County Library card. Cards may be applied for online at: https://osterhout.info/using-the-library/library-card-application/  or at any Luzerne County library.

“Our goal during Black History Month is to encourage readers to explore the hidden biases of good people, biases we all carry from a lifetime of experiences,” according to Mary Garm, Administrator of the Lackawanna County Library System.

For more information on the program, visit NEPDEC.org.