A Black female surgeon feels invisible, and wishes to be seen for who she is (1). A Black male physician wishes he were invisible, instead of fielding the constant assumptions that he is a threat (2). When patients went to the emergency department of an academic medical center in Philadelphia complaining of chest pain, it took the staff significantly longer to order EKGs for Black patients than for white patients (3). Time matters when treating a heart attack, and an EKG is a readily available and standard test ordered for chest pain, so why the delay if you were Black? When outside examiners scored math tests of elementary school children without the benefit of knowing their names/gender, girls scored higher than when they were scored by their own teachers who knew the students’ gender (4). More female musicians are hired when they audition behind a curtain, than during open auditions (5). Continue reading
Tag Archives: Prejudice
Insight: Syrian Refugees in the Middle East and in Europe
This is an insight written by Sara Rissanen on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace lecture, “Syrian Refugees in the Middle East and in Europe: On the Psychology of a Humanitarian Challenge” held on January 12, 2021.
Insight: The Three Faces of Anti-Semitism
This is an insight written by Sara Rissanen on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace lecture, “The Three Faces of Anti-Semitism” by Professor Jeffrey Herf held on October 6, 2020. Continue reading
“Us and them” – Prejudice and Peace – Dr. Tiffani Betts Razavi
History furnishes no shortage of examples of the suffering of one group of people at the hands of another, even as news headlines daily document ongoing conflict and oppression. Some stories are well known, others obscure or lost, and none are as well understood as they need to be to overcome the barrier posed by the “us and them” attitude that is at their root. Continue reading
Insight: Reactionary Democracy
This is an insight written by Sara Rissanen on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace lecture, “Reactionary Democracy in the United States: How Racism and the Populist Far-Right Became Mainstream” held on September 3, 2020. Continue reading
Insight: The Immigration Officers Are Always Around
This is an insight written by Jackson Devadas on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Lecture, “The Immigration Officers Are Always Around!” held at the University of Maryland on February 25, 2020. Continue reading
A Small Step: Introducing Emily, a Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Intern
This piece was written by Emily Gorey, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace’s Marketing Specialist. Continue reading
Upcoming Event: Fear of the Dark: Cultural Myth, Psychological Schema, and Prejudice
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Series on Structural Racism and the Root Causes of Prejudice Presents:
Sheri Parks, First Director of the Arts and Humanities Center for Synergy at the University of Maryland
Fear of the Dark: Cultural Myth, Psychological Schema, and Prejudice
Tuesday October 10,2017
3PM
Atrium, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park
Reflection: International Day for Peace 2016
When you ask most people about world peace, they tell you that peace is among the most important matters on their mind and that we should all be concerned about it. But longing for peace is only the first step on the path toward making the world a better place for all people.
If we really wish to work toward achieving world peace we will first have to start with expanding our worldview about what peace requires from individuals, communities, and leaders of nations.
If we really desire a better more peaceful world, then we can start by accepting the fact that there are many barriers to peace. Through our actions every person has the power remove the road blocks to peace. Continue reading