Prejudice
Woman, man, black, white, poor, wealthy ... it subtly defines the social interactions
between humans every day. We think we know what it means, and we think we're
not it. But what is prejudice? Are we really free from prejudice toward other
humans in our own lives? As women of faith, how do we respond to the reality
of our own and the world's prejudice? How do we live beyond societal division
and embrace the full humanity of each other?
What Can We Do?
Participants to the Chicago event were challenged to confront prejudice, both
in their lives and in the larger society. They learned about prejudice
as the set of assumptions and stereotypes that negatively influence their
responses to other people and situations. As both victims and perpetrators
of prejudice, they:
- Educated themselves about different forms of prejudice, their origins
and how they can respond with energy, intelligence, imagination and love
to overcome them.
- Dispelled their prejudices through experiential workshops at Chicago-area
social agencies.
- Examined their own prejudices and considered how God calls them to be
transformed as women of faith.
- Strategized about how to engage in social action that confronts and
challenges prejudice, bringing positive change into the lives of those
victimized by it.
Event Facilitators
Co-facilitators Laura Mariko Cheifetz and Lisa
Larges created dialogue about sexism, racism and other examples
of prejudice, including their origins and Reformed theological responses to
them. They challenged participants to explore their own personal prejudices,
while understanding prejudice as a larger system that prevents all people from
living more fully into the Good News of liberation through Christ.
Workshops
Workshops included four experiential workshop segments to the
following social agencies in the city of Chicago:
The following were topics for workshops:
- Identifying Prejudice
- The Global Woman
- Sexual Ethics
- Violence Against Women
- Creating Womanspace on Campus
- Gender Stereotypes in Film
- Political Divisions within the Church
- Social Action: How to Get Involved
- Deconstructing White Privilege
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