Building Inclusive Spaces

Description

All humans are biased. It is part of how our nervous system is wired to survive. Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. Each of us acts on our implicit biases, often without realizing it, and mostly without understanding where they came from. Unless we take the time to both reflect on and interrupt our own biases as well as consider how stereotype threat might impact ourselves and our community, we unconsciously create the conditions for intolerance and fear. Fostering an inclusive mindset means learning to recognize the existence of invisible, negative bias that creates injustice and draws us out of alignment with our values of connection, equity, interdependence, and inclusion. • Learn what implicit bias and stereotype threat are and understand through brain research how bias and stereotypes are learned and ingrained. • Unpack the AMAZEworks Conditions for Belonging and Anti-Bias Education frameworks for addressing identity, difference, and bias in communities, organizations, and classrooms. • Understand the importance of using and creating inclusive language, norms, and practices across all identities, including race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, faith/religion, and ability. • Explore examples of inclusive language, norms, and practices through discussion, problem solving, and role-playing.