AMST 3004 Prepare Crisis Mitigation Strategies

Lead with strength, knowing you are prepared to respond to incidents of hate with deliberate and unequivocal confidence. While publicly condemning bigotry incidents is a crucial first step, civic leaders must go beyond rhetorical response. They must enact inclusive policies and initiatives to build a community’s resilience in the face of hate. Integrate into your leadership toolkit the best practices for addressing bias incidents and prepare to not only put out fires but deescalate the hatred that stoked the flames.
America Indivisible · March 10, 2021

As a religiously-literate leader, how do you respond to a hate incident that targeted your local community? Consider best practices for crisis management when perpetrators target people based on their religion. Explore effective “firefighting” strategies for responding to incidents of bigotry and discrimination. Examine effective ways to investigate crimes, lead law enforcement, and empathetically communicate with the public.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify common instances of bigotry and discrimination and what fuels them.
  • Examine how incidents of anti-Muslim bias impact a community’s civic health.
  • Explain local governance best practices for addressing incidents of bias.
  • Develop action plans to respond to racialized anti-Muslim bigotry incidents, including hate speech, police violence, school bullying, and discriminatory policies or legislation.

Syllabus

Contributors

Usra Ghazi MTS

Senior Advisor, America Indivisible

Melissa Levinson MA

Curriculum Writer, America Indivisible
Curriculum Developer, Islamic Networks Group (ING)

Lida Azim MA

Program Manager
America Indivisible

M. Arsalan Suleman JD, MPhil

Counsel, Foley Hoag LLP. Chair, America Indivisible
Fellow, Georgetown Inst. for Study of Diplomacy. Former Acting US Special Envoy to the OIC.

Civic Education for a Common Good

We apply the U.S. Department of Education’s Consensus Statements about Constitutional Approaches for Teaching about Religion

▸ Our approach to religion is academic, not devotional;
▸ We strive for student awareness of religions, but do not press for student acceptance of any religion;
▸ We sponsor the study about religion, not the practice of religion;
▸ We expose students to a diversity of religious views, but may not impose any particular view;
▸ We educate about all religions, we do not promote or denigrate any religion;
▸ We inform students about religious beliefs and practices, it does not seek to conform students to any particular belief or practice.

We apply the American Academy of Religion’s “Religious Literacy Guidelines”

▸ “Religious Literacy Guidelines for College Students.” American Academy of Religion, 2019.
▸ “Teaching About Religion: AAR Guidelines for K-12 Public Schools.” American Academy of Religion, April 2010.

We apply the National Council for the Social Studies C3 Frameworks for Religious Studies

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, “Religious Studies Companion Document for the C3 Framework.” Silver Spring, MD: National Council for the Social Studies, 2017.