Dear BGC Community,

As part of BGC’s ongoing efforts to increase and improve diversity, equity, access, and inclusion, we are offering three optional workshops in the coming weeks open to all BGC students, faculty, and staff. Read on to learn more and to register!

Opening BGC Through Access
Monday, April 26
2–3:30 pm

Nadia Rivers, coordinator of public programs, education, and engagement at BGC, has collaborated with Dr. Theri A. Pickens, professor of English at Bates College, to offer this 90-minute workshop featuring the Met’s Marie Clapot, associate museum educator for accessibility, and Deborah Lutz, a freelance museum educator who specializes in visual description. The workshop will consist of an introduction to accessibility best practices, an overview of visual description and how to incorporate these principles into public presentations, and discussion of ideological questions that go beyond physical provisions when considering institutional inclusion.

The following workshops will be conducted by Hollaback! in partnership with Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC).

Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Anti-Asian/American Harassment and Xenophobia
Wednesday, May 12
3–4 pm
In response to the rise in Anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment, Hollaback! has partnered with AAJC to adapt its free bystander intervention and de-escalation training to meet this moment. This one-hour, interactive workshop will teach you Hollaback!’s bystander intervention methodology. The trainers will introduce the types of disrespect that people in the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities are facing right now—from microaggressions to violence—using a tool called the “spectrum of disrespect.” You’ll learn what to look for and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities. You will talk through five strategies for intervention: distract, delegate, document, delay, and direct; and how to prioritize your own safety while intervening. You will have time at the end for practice, and you’ll leave feeling more confident intervening the next time you see Anti-Asian/American harassment online or in person.

How to Respond to Anti-Asian/American Harassment When It Happens to You
Friday, May 14
3–4 pm
This workshop is exclusively for those in the BGC community who identify as Asian, Asian American, and/or Pacific Islander. During this one-hour, highly interactive training you’ll learn Hollaback!’s methodology for responding to harassment: 1) trust your instincts, 2) reclaim your space, and 3) practice resilience. You’ll learn how your identities can shape your experience of harassment and the impact that harassment has on you and your community as a whole. You will learn about what to look for when assessing your safety, and how to determine if responding in the moment is the right action or not. There will also be a deep dive into how to build your resilience on an individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal front. You’ll leave with new tools on how to respond to harassment, whether your response is in the moment while that harassment is happening or long-term.