Department chair Professor Justin Joffe says the initiative is intended to expose the evils at the roots of biased behaviors and spark change. John Dovidio, Ph.D. and James H. Sidanius, Ph.D. will deliver keynote addresses on unintentional bias and the links between gender and ethnic discrimination. Workshops will address cultural competence, strategies for challenging racism and homophobia and cross-cultural mental health challenges. A number of films will also be presented, including Straight from the Heart , about parents of GLBT children struggling with homophobia, and The Way Home , in which women from a variety of races talk about experiences with oppression. In addition, psychology faculty have scheduled activities in their classes that week that will focus on challenging biased behavior.
All events are free and open to the public.
More information and schedules are available from the psychology department. Solomon says she hopes that other departments will follow the psychology department's lead in combating discrimination and prejudice. Elected to the Vermont House of Representatives at age 20, Howard served six years before becoming the chair of the state Democratic Committee. He now works as a political consultant. He believes the auditor needs to be an experienced leader unafraid to take on the fights.