Atlanta, Georgia, April 22, 2021 – The Asian American Language Ministry Plan, the New Federation of Asian American United Methodists and the General Board of Church and Society are co-sponsoring webinars called “Raise Up Your Voice Against Racism“.
This month’s webinar will explore “The Challenges and the Importance of Cross Cultural Conversations”. In conversations with someone from the same culture we automatically assume there will be some basic shared expectations about how the conservation will unfold and develop. However when we have a conversation with someone from a different culture, we often unwittingly try to employ our same cultural expectations onto this new conversation. And when there is some sort of miscommunication, we are often baffled. To have a successful cross cultural conversation we must understand the other person’s culture and communication styles and nuances. Cross cultural conversations can be challenging but are very important. Research has shown that cross cultural conversations can and do reduce racism, especially when these conversations are paired with multiculturalism. The goal of this webinar is to talk about why cultural conversations are important in the fight against racism. This will be the sixth installment of the series.
Webinar #6
“The Challenges and the Importance of Cross Cultural Conversations”
April 27th at 5:00pm PST /8:00pm EST
Panelists:
Dr. Dana Lyles currently serves as the Director of the U.S. Office on Multicultural Ministries with the General Board of Global Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to joining Global Ministries, Dr. Dana served in the education sector for over 15 years as a teacher and middle and high school administrator in North Carolina. She has led many groups in cross cultural conversations. She is passionate about helping organizations and people realize and maximize their potential and seeks to empower everyone she meets!
Sophia Agtarap has been the Director of Communications at Vanderbilt Divinity School since 2017. Sophia is a deaconess in The United Methodist Church — a lay order whose call is to engage the world through a full-time vocation in ministries of love, justice, and service. She also trains groups on a variety of topics, including communications and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Sophia enjoys food and travel, and even more so when they are done in tandem.
Kristina Gonzalez is Director of Innovation for an Inclusive Church for the Greater Northwest Area’s Innovation Vitality Team. She develops curriculum and offers leadership development opportunities with a specialty in intercultural competency. Ms. Gonzalez is a Qualified Administrator in the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and an Associate with the Kaleidoscope Institute for leadership in a diverse changing world. She has served as faculty of the annual school for United Methodist supervising clergy for 15 years and consults and trains ecumenically in the field of intercultural competency.
This sixth installment in the series will be held on April 27th at 5:00pm PST /8:00pm EST.
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Rev. Neal Christie, the former Assistant General Secretary at Church and Society explained, “Asian Americans can be silent when racialized public policies are enacted, or racist behaviors practiced. Asian Americans are themselves frequent, silent targets of racist violence and scapegoating, heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Can we center the voices of Asian Americans as anti-racist allies? What happens when we do? That is what this series is about.”
Everyone is invited register for this webinar however, one of the main goals of these webinars it to be a safe space for Asian Americans to participate in conversations about racism.
Please visit this link for more information and to register for the webinar: https://bit.ly/2GAYRhQ
