Tell-It Report: Racial Bias Can Lead to People Seeing Weapons That Aren’t There, New Study Says

A new study from Columbia University used brain imaging tests to determine how split-second, high-risk decisions can change based on race.

(Envato/ContrabandCamp)

In Gullah Geechee communities, a "tell-it" was a designated lookout, community warning system and the most trusted source for news and information. The Tell-It Report is ContrabandCamp’s weekly roundup of the Black stories that deserve more attention — from politics to entertainment.

In a new study out of Columbia, researchers showed that participants believed tools were actually weapons after seeing photos of Black men’s faces.

Dacara Thompson’s death is reigniting concerns over how missing Black victims are covered in the media.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley is pushing for the Federal Reserve to address Black women’s steadily increasing unemployment rates.

Read the full stories below:

Racial stereotypes can lead people to see weapons where they don’t exist, new study says

Columbia University researchers have determined that racial stereotypes can lead people to see weapons in places where they don’t exist.

The brain imaging study, published Sept. 9, states that racial stereotypes “can infiltrate the brain’s visual system,” leading individuals to turn harmless objects into weapons, Medical Xpress reports.

Led by psychology professor Jon Freeman, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging and neural decoding techniques to study participants’ brains. Among two large, racially diverse groups, Freeman’s team found that when they saw photos of Black men’s faces and then were shown graspable objects like wrenches and drills shortly after, their brains processed it as closely resembling a weapon. Participants were also shown photos of white men as a comparison.

"Our findings demonstrate that the stereotypes we hold can alter the brain's visual representation of an object, distorting what we see to fit our biased expectations," Freeman said in a statement published with the study.

Researchers also asked participants to sort images and identify them as weapons or tools. They found a consistent delay in identifying the tools as tools and not weapons when the participants were shown tools after seeing a Black man’s face.

Too often, these false perceptions have cost Black people their lives or freedom. Andre Hill was holding his phone and keys when police killed him in 2020, believing he was holding a silver revolver. In 2020, Donnie Sanders was killed by a Kansas City police officer, who mistook Sanders’ cell phone for a gun. In 2018, Sacramento police killed Stephon Clark after mistaking his cell phone for a gun.

Though there has been research on the issue, this is the first brain-imaging study to show that these widespread stereotypes can lead to visual distortions. Researchers hope to explore intervention methods that could reverse these hallucinations and potentially save lives.

"Our findings suggest a new direction: targeting not just the stereotypes people hold, but also the visual processes that shape how we see others,” Freeman said. “If we can change split-second perceptual distortions, we may be able to mitigate these kinds of consequential misjudgments in high-stakes situations under stress and uncertainty."

Dacara Thompson’s death raises questions about how missing Black people are covered

The suspect accused of killing Dacara Thompson after she was reported missing in Prince George’s County has been charged with murder and sits behind bars without bond.

Thompson, 19, was last seen on the night of Aug. 22. Her family reported her missing on Aug. 23. According to Fox 5 DC, authorities found her vehicle on Aug. 24. Thompson’s body was discovered nearly two weeks later in Anne Arundel County.

Thompson’s disappearance sparked widespread concern as she was one of several missing persons reported missing in the area. Within days of Thompson going missing, Erica Perry, 43, of Hyattsville went missing.

Thompson’s family led most of the grassroots efforts in the search for the teen. News of Thompson’s death reignited conversations about the lack of media coverage dedicated to locating missing Black women and girls.

According to the Black and Missing Foundation, 40% of those who go missing in this country each year are people of color. And according to the FBI National Crime Information Center, Black women and girls accounted for 37% of missing female entries in 2024.

Hunter Gilmore, host of “Hunting 4 Answers,” told Afro Newspaper that missing Black women are consistently being ignored. “We must do a better job at getting information out to the public as soon as it’s suspected that someone is missing and may be the victim of foul play.”

According to police, Thompson was seen via surveillance video entering the van of Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, on Aug. 23. Hernandez-Mendez then drove to the house in Bowie, Maryland, where officials believe the teen was killed. Hernandez-Mendez has been charged with first- and second-degree murder and is being held without bond. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirms that he is in the country illegally.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore released a statement about Thompson’s death.

“We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure those responsible for this crime are held accountable and honor D​acara’s legacy of service through our unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of all Marylanders,” he said.

Thompson was a recent high school graduate and worked for a local non-profit. Her mom, Carmen Thompson, told the Washington Post that she was a good kid.

“I just want justice served for my daughter,” she said.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley implores Fed chair to address Black women's unemployment rates

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) is advocating for the hundreds of thousands of jobless Black women in the United States.

The representative sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell asking him to address the disproportionate unemployment rate impacting Black women workers. She called Black women’s situation a “glaring red flag” for the overall health of employment in the U.S.

Between February and July, an estimated 319,000 Black women have become unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In her letter to Powell, Pressley stressed that the “unemployment of Black women is a key metric of the health of the U.S. economy.”

“The Trump Administration is harming the economy by causing the labor market to lose the wealth of knowledge, innovation, and skill that Black women have contributed to this nation,” the letter says. “It is incumbent upon the Federal Reserve to adjust its approach to ensuring a fair economy in the face of fiscally irresponsible policies from the White House.”

She urged Powell to stand on its mandate to promote the highest level of employment for all workers and called for the Federal Reserve to collect data on changes in Black women’s employment, specifically so that the government can create public policy to prevent more losses.

Pressley pointed to DEI rollbacks as contributing blow. “It’s a loss of the wealth of knowledge, of innovation, of skills that Black women contribute every day,” Pressley told NBC News.

“When coupled with the fact that job openings and hires decreased overall since July 2024, you should see the current economic outlook as a glaring red flag that forebodes danger for the entire country,” Pressley said.

ICYMI

• HBCUs nationwide have lifted lockdowns following threats they received in the wake of conservative extremist Charlie Kirk’s death.

• Megan Thee Stallion served streamer Adin Ross legal papers via a mariachi band.

• U.S. Olympic sprinter Erriyon Knighton has been banned from the games for four years after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.

• Ego Nwodim is leaving “Saturday Night Live” after seven seasons.

• Award-winning playwright Olivia Matthews was killed in a fire at her apartment in Smyrna, Ga., that authorities believe was arson.