Oct
8
9:15 AM09:15

Bias and Extremism: Interrupting Conflict In the Election Cycle

  • NORTHWEST PUBLIC EMPLOYEES DIVERSITY CONFERENCE (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Election years always elevate political divisions and potential flashpoints. Recent election cycles have been seen bias play a major role, including racism, sexism, antisemitism, and xenophobia. Some of this is driven by the “usual suspects,” like organized hate groups, but much is the result emotional responses to a rapidly changing social landscape that frames a wide range of factors, from pronouns to new technologies, as disrupting the known social order. This presentation focuses on three aspects of the historical moment we are in; 1) social changes that push people towards bias and extremist positions, 2) the threat presented by extremists who have exploited these changes, and 3) techniques available to de-escalate bias-motivated conflicts, including the utilization of credible messengers. Dr. Blazak has worked in the area for over 30 years and will be utilizing his current work with the federally funded Cure-PNW project. (NORTHWEST PUBLIC EMPLOYEES DIVERSITY CONFERENCE)

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May
29
9:00 AM09:00

Invisible Architecture: How to Identify and Enrich Your Community's Assets

  • Hyatt Regency Oregon Convention Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Dr. Blazak will be a part of a discussion panel at the Flourishing Oregon conference.

Savannah Carreno, Rockwood CDC, Director of Development

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May
2
6:00 PM18:00

COMBATING HATE CRIMES IN OREGON: A CONVERSATION WITH RANDALL BLAZAK AND FAY STETZ-WATERS

  • Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Educatiom (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join us for a conversation between Fay Stetz-Waters, Director of Civil Rights and Social Justice for the Oregon Department of Justice, and Randall Blazak, chair of the Oregon Coalition Against Hate Crimes. The two will discuss the history and current state of hate crimes in Oregon and what we can do to combat them. This program is part of The Burned Piano Project: Making Music Amidst the Noise of Hate. 

https://www.ojmche.org/events/combating-hate-crimes-in-or-a-conversation/

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Nov
7
7:00 PM19:00

De-Escalate Workshop

  • Porland Community College - Cascade (Moriority Auditorium) (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Dr. Blazak will be hosting a workshop on the de-escalation of political violence with Brent Decker, from Cure Violence Global, and Savannah Rae Carreno, from Please Elaborate, at the auditorium of Portland Community College, Cascade.

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Oct
10
3:00 PM15:00

The Racist Mind: Using Mindfulness to Interrupt White Supremacy

  • Northwest Public Employees Diversity Conference (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

We tend to see white supremacists as a separate breed from the rest of us. The fact is that all people, no matter their racial identity, internalize forms of white supremacy. This workshop explores the process of that internalization and how its presence in our brains finds a wide variety of harmful manifestations, from implicit bias and micro-aggressions to hate crimes and racial terrorism. By using a mindfulness approach, we will explore the way racism causes trauma and how to interrupt racism in ourselves and in the racially charged interactions we encounter. The goal of the workshop is to move from harm to healing in our racial lives.

To be presented at the Northwest Public Employees Diversity Conference

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May
4
7:00 PM19:00

Antisemitism: Threats and Root Causes

Dr. Blazak will be presenting as part of the Cure-PDX panel entitled, “Interrupting Contemporary Antisemitism: What Can We Do About It? - A Community Conversation” at Temple Beth Israel https://www.ojmche.org/events/interrupting-contemporary-antisemitism-what-can-we-do-about-it-a-community-conversation/?fbclid=IwAR1PhjRq5D8zf6pFo8HfXkuoVvmf5hqXrRPGCkYh7YOj2NzSHi40EBSyYE4

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Feb
20
4:00 PM16:00

Responding to the Trauma of White Supremacy: Backing Away from the Edge

Part of a series of trainings for Safe From Hate.

The final training covers effective methods to interrupt white nationalism, including the utilization of mindfulness and credible messenger techniques. Participants will rehearse specific skills for by-stander intervention, including in online platforms.

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