A+C FEST: “Bystander Intervention to stop hate-based harassment”
On behalf of the University of Houston-Downtown’s Cultural Enrichment Center and the Department of Arts and Communication within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, we welcome you to attend the Arts & Communication Festival. The 2021 theme is “Lockdown and Released,” reflecting the 12+ months that our global community has endured the COVID-19 pandemic. This global experience has ruptured normalcy, and our theme explores all the things we have had to do to adapt, survive, and thrive. This year’s festival is dedicated to people who are ready to think in new ways about their possible future.
In 2020 we had to shift priorities, expectations, formats, locations, modalities, and perspectives. The festival was one of many cancellations. As the world seemed to fall apart, issues of injustice, inequities, and access were laid bare. Those issues manifested in violence against specific groups of people and have continued to escalate. Our beloved community is being affected by hate-based harassment and it is unacceptable. At UHD we will continue to advocate for the rights of all who endure interlocking and unrelenting systems of oppression. We want to support organizations leading efforts to educate against hate-based harassment.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
“Bystander Intervention to stop hate-based harassment”
Hate-based harassment has been on the rise in the US and the world. In this virtual workshop hosted on Zoom, we'll learn how you can intervene effectively as a bystander without ever compromising your safety.
The Houston Coalition Against Hate and OCA-Greater Houston are kindly sharing their interactive training that offers concrete tips for safely standing up to hate and bigotry in person and online. In this 1.5-hour webinar, participants will learn Hollaback!'s 5D's of bystander intervention methodology. There will be a discussion on the types of disrespect that many folks across all identities are facing right now — from micro-aggressions to violence — using a tool called the "spectrum of disrespect." Attendees will learn what to look for and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities. Also, learning about the five strategies for intervention: distract, delegate, document, delay, and direct; and how to prioritize your own safety while intervening. The webinar includes time in the end for practice so that participants would feel more confident intervening the next time they see hate-based harassment online or in person.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZER:
Concerned by reports of the steady rise in incidents of hate and bias in Houston, especially incidents against African-American, Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQ communities, a group of over 30 community stakeholders came together in early 2017 to develop a coordinated community-wide plan to reduce incidents of bias and hate. The group organized itself as the Houston Coalition Against Hate (HCAH) and has worked toward strengthening connections between organizations working in this space, facilitating the exchange of information, skills, and experience, and establishing partnerships with law enforcement agencies and other institutions so that Houston can improve its systems to effectively prevent and reduce incidents of hate.
ACCESSIBILITY:
This free virtual event will be hosted through Zoom. Details will be emailed to you upon registration. Zoom offers more advanced accessibility features. This training may not be ADA compliant.