Question the Impression: How Everyday Bias Shapes Belonging Across Communities

Across urban centres and small towns alike, equity is often undermined not by overt acts of exclusion, but by the quiet power of unchecked assumptions. In workplaces and communities, impressions are formed in seconds—about competence, intent, credibility, and belonging—yet their consequences can last for years. These impressions are shaped by intersecting identities, including race, gender, disability, class, and culture, and are further influenced by place-based dynamics such as visibility, proximity, and access.

In this TED-style talk, Question the Impression, Michelle Grocholsky invites participants to examine how implicit bias operates in everyday moments and how it can unintentionally limit opportunity, especially in smaller or more tightly connected communities where difference is often more visible and anonymity is rare. Drawing on lived experience, research in social psychology, and real-world workplace examples, this session explores how assumptions harden into barriers—and how conscious interruption can open pathways to greater fairness and belonging.

Participants will…