Intercultural Skills
Read, Watch, Listen + Tools
Learners will cultivate the skills needed for life and work in our diverse communities.
READ
Resources on Personal Pronoun
2024
Pronouns.org
Article Overview: Often, people make assumptions about the gender of another person based on the person’s appearance or name. These assumptions aren’t always correct, and the act of making an assumption (even if correct) sends a potentially harmful message. This website provides guidance on common questions like what pronouns are, why they matter, and gender-inclusive language.
Cognitive Biases: What They Are and How They Affect People
2024
Itamar Shatz, PhD
Effectivology.com
Article Overview: In this article, you will learn more about cognitive biases and understand why we experience them. The article describes different types of biases and provides ways for you to mitigate bias successfully.
Common Racist Attitudes and Behaviors
January 29, 2015
Debra Leigh
Community Anti-Racism Education Initiative
Article Overview: This article includes a list of 28 common racist attitudes and behaviors that indicate a detour or wrong turn into white guilt, denial or defensiveness. Each is followed by a statement that is a reality check and consequence for harboring such attitudes.
Speak Up! Handbook: Responding to Everyday Bigotry
2005
Southern Poverty Law Center
Article Overview: The Southern Poverty Law Center gathered stories of everyday bigotry from people across the United States and shares tactics for speaking up against bias and hate. Each section of this long-form resource takes around 10 minutes to read. You may want to keep this handy for review and reference as you look to build your skills in responding to everyday bigotry.
Braids, Afros, Twists, Weaves: Hair Discrimination is one Way Blacks in Wisconsin Experience Routine Microagressions
July 16, 2020
Ebony Cox
Green Bay Press-Gazette
Article Overview: This article shares accounts from residents of northeast Wisconsin who have experienced everyday microaggressions focused on hairstyles.
Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life
October 5, 2010
Jessica Schrader
Psychology Today
Article Overview: Derald Wing Sue Ph.D. writes about everyday microaggressions and his analysis of the hidden messages within.
Companies are Speaking Out Against Racism, but Here's What it Really Looks Like to lead an Anti-Racist Organization
June 15, 2020
Jennifer Liu
CNBC
Article Overview: This article features interviews with experts and leaders about what it means to be an anti-racist employer and what it actually looks like in practice.
Belonging: A Conversation about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
January 21, 2019
Krys
Medium
Article Overview: This article describes the distinctions between equity, diversity and inclusion and what it might look like when organizations implement incomplete strategies.
How to Beat Stereotypes by Seeing People as Individuals
August 28, 2019
Zaid Jilani
Greater Good Magazine
Article Overview: Zaid Jilani explains the psychology behind stereotypes and strategies for avoiding stereotyping.
WATCH
Let's Talk Bias
2024
Youth Collective
Reel Works & Wisconsin Public Television
Video Overview: In this Youth Collective video produced by Reel Works, five young people share stories of experiencing bias targeted at their unique identities.
The Danger of a Single Story
2009
Chimamanda Adichie
Khan Academy
Episode Overview: Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
We All Have Implicit Biases.
So, What Can We Do About It?
September 18, 2017
Dushaw Hockett
TEDx Talks
Video Overview: Dushaw Hockett, founder and Executive Director of Safe Places for the Advancement of Community and Equity, discusses characteristics of implicit biases and the reasons for all of us to recognize and address them.
How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias
October 22, 2018
Valerie Alexander
TEDxPasadena
Video Overview: Author, speaker and CEO, Valerie Alexander explains how the human brain instinctively reacts when encountering the unexpected. She proposes that we examine our own behavior when faced with the unfamiliar and take control of our expectations so that we can change the world.
An Everyday Dimension of Racism: Why We Need to Understand Microaggressions
May 9, 2019
Race Equity Charter
Keele University
Video Overview: This video from Keele University highlights racial microaggressions that students have faced at their university and how it affects them.
Eliminating Microaggressions: The Next Level of Inclusion
December 9, 2019
Tiffany Alvoid
TEDxOakland
Video Overview: Tiffany Alvoid lays out how microaggression manifests, the role you play, and what you can do to avoid perpetuating its continued existence in society.
I Am Not Your Asian Stereotype
April 29, 2016
Canwen Xu
ActTV
Video Overview: In this funny and insightful talk, Canwen Xu shares her Asian-American story of breaking and sometimes reaffirming stereotypes.
Racial Discrimination in the Workplace
February 1, 2015
Janie Price
His Dream, Our Stories
Video Overview: Janie Price recalls discrimination she faced at work and her experience.
The Little Problem I had Renting a House
November 2014
James A. White Sr.
TEDxColumbus
Video Overview: Fifty-three years ago, James A. White Sr. joined the US Air Force. But as an African American man, he had to go to shocking lengths to find a place for his young family to live nearby. He tells this powerful story about the lived experience of "everyday racism" -- and how it echoes today in the way he's had to teach his grandchildren to interact with police.
The Muslim on the Airplane
December 14, 2016
Amal Kassir
TEDxMileHighWomen
Video Overview: Watching the news, it seems like ethnic divides are ever-deepening. But how can we solve these complicated problems when each side lives in fear of the other? The answer is simple, argues Syrian American poet Amal Kassir – it starts with, “what’s your name?” Contains strong language.
LISTEN
Ask Code Switch: What About Your Friends?
January 22, 2020
Simoul Alva
NPR: Code Switch
Podcast Overview: This episode of Code Switch focuses on helping listeners understand how race and racism affect our lives and friendships.
The Mind of the Village: Understanding our Implicit Biases
June 20, 2020
Shankar Vedantam, Jennifer Schmidt, Rhaina Cohen, Tara Boyle, Parth Shah, Maggie Penman
NPR: Hidden Brain
Podcast Overview: This episode of Hidden Brain examines research about “the mind of the village,” exploring the connection between our minds and society.
Microaggressions are a Big Deal: How to Talk Them Out and When to Walk Away
June 9, 2017
Andrew Limbong
NPR: Life Kit
Podcast Overview: Kevin Nadal, a professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has spent years researching and writing books on the effects of microaggressions. As these big structural issues play out, he says it's important to confront the small stuff. Listen to his interview with NPR.
Culture Series - Making Villains and the "Problem" Woman of Color in the Workplace
December 30, 2020
Bethany Wilkinson
A More Beautiful Way
Podcast Overview: This episode of the Diversity Gap Academy dives into villain narratives and the "problem" woman of color in the workplace. Popularized by research done by the Centre for Community Organizations in Montreal, this episode unpacks a common experience that women of color navigate in majority white-led organizations. This topic is important for any of us who aspire to create more diverse organizational cultures.
Health Equity Advocate on Black Doctor's Video of Her Treatment for COVID-19
December 30, 2020
Mary Louise Kelly
NPR: All Things Considered
Podcast Overview: NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with health equity advocate Joia Crear-Perry about a video in which the late Dr. Susan Moore said her treatment for COVID-19 suffered because she was Black.