Author: Simone Davenport

Happy February everyone! While Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, we think it’s important to bring attention to Black History, something that deserves more than a month to celebrate, educate, and to reflect on. Black History Week was started in 1926 and chosen in February because both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, individuals who created historic change for African Americans, share a February birthday. A month long remembrance was created in 1969 by Black Student Union participants at Kent State University. The US government officially recognized Black History Month a few years later in 1976, and to this day it serves as an expression of Black independence and autonomy as well as a time for reflection on revolutionary thinkers and organizers who continue to inspire us and where our future is headed. We hope you’re having a lovely month so far and enjoy the rest of your week! #blackhistorymatters #blackhistorymonth #blacklivesmatter  

Good afternoon everyone and happy spring! During a season when birds are chirping and flowers are blooming, make time to take in all of the beauty that our planet provides us with every day. As the wise Echart Tolle says, “Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in Being. Allow nature to teach you stillness.” This coming month we have quite a few events, so get ready to check your schedule! On April 7th, from 9:00 am – 11:30 am, there is a FREE Cyber-Conference on Dispute Resolution. This is the 11th annual conference and we will be hearing from incredible speakers such as: Lorenn Walker: Restorative Practitioner and Professor at University of Hawaii Harold Gatensby: Community Leader and Cirlce Peace-Maker, Tlingit First Nation, Raven Clan, Yukon, Canada Mahmoud Khalili: Madrid’s Bircham International University John Cooper: Confict Resolution Consultant in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Kyrgyzstan Renata Valree: Former President of the National Association for Community Mediation, NCRP Professor, CSUDH Gerson Damiani: Director, Global Center for Peace Studies- University of Sao Paulo, Brazil The conference will be facilitated by Dr. Brian Jarrett and supports the work of those building safer and healthier communities all over the world. Further, the American Bar Association (ABA) is hosting a conference with a hybrid model with in-person programs and events in Los Angeles, CA as well as robust virtual options. The conference takes place from April 14-April 17. All in-person events will follow local and CDC public health guidelines and regulations. The theme of the 2021 Spring Conference is Agility, Disruption, and Reinvention: ADR in a New World.  This past year we have witnessed non-violent and violent confrontations, all in a highly contentious political environment. The 2021 conference will examine how…

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Happy International Women’s Day everyone!  We hope you’re having a great start to the week. This is a reminder to love and uplift all of the women in your life. “Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” –G.D. Anderson For the rest of this month we have a few new events on the calendar. This week on Wednesday the 11th, we have an event entitled Workplace Collaboration taking place from 12:00pm – 1:00pm where we will hear from Donna R. Ching, Ph.D. who will teach us tools to help embrace workplace collaboration. On March 12th an event entitled Practice Makes Permanent: Next Level Bystander Communication Skills is taking place from 8:00am – 12:00pm. We will be practicing our communication skills with Kimberly Dark, an award winning writer and storyteller who wants you to reclaim your power as a social creator to make the world a better place. The workshop is $50 and you must’ve participated in one or more of these prior trainings: Brilliant Bystander Unconscious Bias Linguistic Re-Framing Further, on March 16th from 12pm-1:30pm we have an event titled Beyond the Mute Button which will have us rethinking the need for physical presence in dispute resolution. This is an awesome free event where we will hear from many important mediations, lecturers, and facilitators. The last event on the calendar for this month is on March 18th and it’s entitled What is Excellence? Approaches to Merit and Distinction in Mediation. We will be hearing from Peter S. Adler Ph.D. who is a planner, mediator, facilitator, and a Principal at ACCORD3.0 which is a professional network of consultants specializing in foresight, strategy, and cooperative trouble-shooting. This is a free event taking place from 12:00pm-1:00pm, join us to hear…

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  Hi everyone! We hope you are all safe, happy, and healthy this week. As you may know, this month is Black History Month, an important time to further our understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity. For the rest of the month, we’re proposing the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge from www.eddiemoorejr.com. For 21 days, we encourage you to do one action to educate yourself and to actively unlearn racial bias. On the website linked below, you can find many different options in order to read, listen, watch, and engage in order to understand white privilege and white supremacy. You can also find a printable tracking chart in order to help you stay on course! https://www.eddiemoorejr.com/21daychallenge We also have another upcoming event entitled Bridging the Divide. It will take place on February 19th from 1-2pm and will include a talk-story with past Peace corps Language and Cultural Facilitator Fahzeela Mohamed. We will also be hearing from Damian Owens who served as a Peace Corps Health Education Facilitator in Guyana from 2015-2017. Stephanie Sang, the Peace Corps recruiter at UH Manoa who also served in Madagascar from 2016-2018 will be moderating the event. Join us for this free event! Remember, in order to change the world, we need to take the action into our own hands. “There is no social change fairy. There is only the change made by the hands of individuals.” –Winona LaDuke Have a fantastic day!