Author: Brian Blahusch

Presenter:  D. Paul Haidet
November 14, 2018

Dr. Paul Haidet was the presenter of a thought-provoking interactive audience exchange on unconscious bias; the social stereotypes that we may hold about certain groups of people that we may not be aware of, at the second event of the Hershey Area All Things Diversity series.

Haidet is a general internist and serves as Professor of Medicine, Humanities, and Public Health Sciences at the Penn State University College of Medicine. He has published widely on a variety of topics related to teaching, communication, and the humanistic care of patients, and his work has won numerous regional, national, and international awards.

He works directly with medical students and medical residents to help them to understand unconscious bias and to provide them with methods to provide unbiased care to patients.

How To Tell The Truth

When you just have to talk, try being silent.

When you feel reluctant to say anything, make the effort to put what you’re feeling into words.

This is a place to begin.

Pushing gently against the current of your own impulses is an effective technique for dislodging and discovering your truth.

How to tell the truth?

Taste it and remember the taste in your heart.

Risk it from the bottom of your love.

Take the risk of telling the truth about what you’re feeling.

Take the risk of telling your loved on your secrets.

It’s true you might be misunderstood.

Look and see if you’re willing to trust yourselves to misunderstand each other and go on from there.

When someone speaks to you and you feel yourself not wanting to hear it try letting it in. You don’t have to agree that they’re right.

Just take the risk of listening as if they could possibly be speaking some truth- and see what happens.

Listen as if.  Listen as if you can’t always tell what the truth is. Listen as if you might be wrong, especially when you know you’re right. Listen as if you were willing to take the risk of growing beyond your righteousness. Listen as if love mattered.

Paul Williams, from “Nation of Lawyers”

A video was shown on the story of Robert Phillips, an African American man who was receiving kidney dialysis and awaiting a transplant and his struggles because he believed that he was less likely to receive a transplant than a Caucasian patient.

Haidet said, “The key for doctor patient communication is all about trust. He facilitated two exercises with the audience. In the first, he provided four options from which the audience could choose as Robert Phillips’ physician to build his trust.

During the second exercise he asked the audience to consider a time when a bias was overcome, and they made a decision different from their bias. Discussion ensued on the audience’s experiences and on why they were able to push their bias aside. “We struggle with our biases and feel guilty,” said Haidet.

“Start alone with creative strategies to acknowledge your biases. It is powerful to do as a community,” he added. Dr. Haidet explained that we reflect on an action and see the result after the fact. He said, “If you do it enough, you will start to do it while it happens and be adaptive.

He provided five tips to prevent biases by Dr. Mazahri Banaji, Harvard University:

• Acknowledge the potential for your life experience to bias your assumptions
• Be wary of first impressions
• Learn about stereotypes and more importantly, really get to know people as people-Honest Inquiry
• Broaden your focus (dig deeper)
• Expose yourself to new experiences with unexpected people
• Einstein Bonus Tip: Learn the history of systematic inequities, oppression, enactments or power, privilege.

Dr. Haidet shared a situation in which he identified his own biases and he realized that he could feel his bias. “When I had that feeling, I said, take a time out,” he explained. “Pay attention and spot your bias.”

He provided Paul’s Steps to Reduce Bias in Everyday Decisions to the audience.

STEP 0:         Acknowledge that bias exists and influences decisions
STEP 1:         Understand and OWN your own biases
STEP 2:         Strategize methods (beforehand) to deal with bias when it occurs
STEP 3:         Develop situational awareness of times your bias activates.
STEP 4:         Call a critical TIME OUT when you feel your bias activating
STEP 5:         Select a strategy (from those brainstormed in step 2) and employ
STEP 6:         Monitor the decision you made and compare with situation where bias was not there (i.e., if the person were white, straight, male, <insert religion>, liberal/conservative, etc.)

The Hershey Area All Things Diversity educational sessions are organized by Derry Township, Downtown Hershey Association, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, The Hershey Company, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, and Derry Township School District. Dr. Ali Michael will present “Addressing Micro-Inequities and Micro-Aggressions” on January 23, 5:30 to 7:15, at the Hershey Story Museum.

September 12, 2018
“Be Empowered by Those Who Have Been Empowered.”

Hershey All Things Diversity opened the 2018-2019 series to a full house with a message from Sharice Johnson, Senior Division, Student Programs Leader, Milton Hershey School.

Johnson defined what being an empowered woman means to her. She said, “An empowered woman is someone who knows her strengths and isn’t afraid to embrace them. To be empowered means to be in control of your life and aware of your capabilities to take on your biggest dreams.” She presented four methods for women to become empowered.

She presented four methods for women to become empowered. The first method is Purpose. She discussed the importance of developing skills and obtaining an education. She encourages women to “Find your spark.” She explained, “It is a process and takes time, but what you are passionate about is your spark. Your spark gives you energy, joy, and purpose.” Johnson’s spark is mentoring. She said, “I love the vision and the purpose of Milton Hershey School.”

Modeling plays a major role in helping girls to grow to become empowered women. “Youth are always watching. Be a positive role model. People learn by watching others and they imitate what they see. Empower others by showing them how to do things the right way,” she encourages.

Johnson urged the audience to use your Voice. She told them, “You are an equal.” She believes that we should use our voice to express our opinions. She said, “Using your voice can affect change and eliminate barriers.”

We can empower by serving as a Mentor. “Teach, inspire, motivate. Mentoring promotes positive social relationships,” Johnson explained. A mentor can serve as a support system, a role that the Young Women’s Alliance Club, that was created by Johnson, fills for female students at Milton Hershey School. The club meets once a week for two hours to provide a place where the students can feel safe and share their feelings and talk about their challenges. She said, “The girls look forward to it and they develop into strong young ladies.”

This year, October will mark the third year of Girls Grace, an overnight conference for 200 Milton Hershey School female students, which was a dream that became a reality for Johnson. Attendees are provided with the opportunity to attend four of 16 workshops offered at the conference.

Milton Hershey School students I’yonna Jones, Nashaya Goodman, Diana Creech, and Najiyyah Pendleton, shared their experiences participating in the Young Women’s Alliance Club and Girls Grace and what it has meant to them.

I’yonna said, “Girls Grace taught me I am and will be something.”  I’ve seen my friends grow and they have seen me grow and that’s how we empower one another,” added Nashaya”

“Young Women’s Alliance Club taught me to embrace who I am and to become more confident,” said Diana. Najiyyah said, “Young Women’s Alliance Club taught me I mattered and to keep your standards high.”

When Johnson opened the floor to questions from the audience, Rebecca Thatcher-Murcia introduced herself and then introduce Rebecca McCarty, a Milton Hershey School student who was sitting beside her to talk about Girls Grace. Leading up to the audience’s questions, student Rebecca was so excited about Girls Grace that she had to share how she felt about it with Rebecca.

The students who have had the fortune to participate in the Young Women’s Alliance Club and Girls Grace who were in attendance brought an energy to the room and exuded confidence, happiness, and an appreciation for what Johnson’s leadership and mentoring programs have given to them.

Johnson closed with, “Be empowered by those who have been empowered. Empowerment programs empower girls. Pass it on! I challenge you all to empower others.”

Opening the Dialog:  Sharing Perspectives of Diverse Populations
Panel Discussion
May 21, 2018

The final Hershey All Things Diversity series for this season featured the personal experiences of people who live and work in Derry Township and come from a variety of diverse backgrounds.

The panel shared their personal experiences related to homosexuality, racism, and immigration to the United States. Derry Township Supervisor Susan Cort served as moderator for the discussion held at The Hershey Story Museum on May 21, 2018.

The members of the panel openly discussed events in their lives when they felt they were treated badly because of their race, nationality, and sexual orientation, and when they received care and support from champions in their lives.

This panel discussion will provide an opportunity for Hershey community members, of different backgrounds, to share their experiences living or working in Hershey and what we can do, as a community, to be more inclusive than we already are.

Supervisor Cort expressed appreciation to the members of the panel for their willingness to talk about their experiences and to have open dialogue with the audience. “Open and honest discussions on these issues will help us better understand each other so we can continue to foster an atmosphere in our community that is welcoming and inclusive,” said Cort.

Sarah Ramirez, MD, Assistant Professor in Family and Community Medicine for Penn State Health, was born in Dominican Republic and grew up in a New Jersey neighborhood where she was exposed to drug dealers and gun fire. Despite the lack of support to continue her education from her family and her school’s administration, she attended college and graduated from Ross University School of Medicine. Dr. Ramirez was bullied and was on the receiving end of discrimination. She encouraged community members to stand up for other members of the community if you see that they are being treated badly or unfairly. “Inaction sends a message of acceptance. Silence supports it,” she explained. Dr. Ramirez said that she knew that to deal with discrimination, she “needed to be successful, be the voice, the example.” If you have not been a victim of discrimination, you may not fully understand how it feels or even have an awareness of when it occurs. Dr. Ramirez explained the microaggression that groups outside of the majority feel, and said that she dealt with it daily in comments that she found to be offensive. Microaggression is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.” It is a term coined by Harvard University professor and psychiatrist Chester M. Pierce in 1970. (Microaggression – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microaggression)

Every member of the panel stressed the importance of having a support system and someone you can talk to. When Shivani Gupta, a native of Delhi, India, moved to Hershey 14 years ago, she was worried about how her children would be accepted by others in the Derry Township school system. She said, “Kids feel that they are different.” She understood that some people live in their hometown their whole lives and are not exposed to other cultures. She felt strongly that she needed to be a part of her children’s education and was involved in the PTO and school programs and activities. “Parents need to be their children’s safety and to know what’s going on,” she said. She recommended talking to your children about their day and communicating with your children’s teachers. Shivani said, “Children should not feel that being different is bad.” She has had a positive experience in Hershey and feels that the school and PTO are doing an “awesome job,” and are supporting those where English is a second language, and are promoting international awareness.

As a student at Hershey High School, Joseph Chubb struggled with coming out as a homosexual, but found that his friends and loved ones didn’t care about his sexual orientation. He used his experience to become a support system for others and has been a proponent of groups and events that support and celebrate our differences. He told the audience about a time when someone had a negative opinion about his sexuality and said something disparaging. He was aware that there were people who were uncomfortable with it, but he said, “If you can’t love yourself, how are you going to love someone else. Be true to yourself and live your best life.”

Assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, Alicia McDonald, PhD, experienced bullying as a child and racism as the only African American woman in her college dorm. She told the audience about events in her life when she was discriminated against. Dr. McDonald said that it was important for her to have confidence in herself and to have a support system she could share her feelings with because there are always going to be insensitive people. She calls on citizens to act when they observe someone being discriminated against, to say something, and stand up for them. Each of us can make a difference, set an example, and be the reason for change in others.

Know Thy Neighbor: Cultivating a Community of Respect

Presenter: Dr. Jeffery Long, Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College

March 19, 2018

Differences can divide a community without a willingness to understand, accept, and welcome one another.

Dr. Jeffery Long, Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College was the presenter at the March Hershey All Things Diversity session held at the Hershey Story. Dr. Long encourages us to “know thy neighbor.”

He explains that intolerance is a form of violence. “Differences are not a reason to treat others badly.” He quoted Thomas Jefferson and emphasizes that someone believing differently from one’s self does not hurt anything. “Why do we care if others believe differently,” he asked.

Conflict is a serious issue that arises when there is a lack of understanding. He tells us to talk to members of the community who are different from us. Ask them questions in a friendly, non-opinionated manner to gain knowledge. He said, “If you gather 20 people together from one congregation, you’ll get 20 different views of the same religion.” He explained that religious labels are an insufficient representation to how someone feels and that we should not generalize. He said that you must interact and ask questions to understand other’s beliefs. He adds, “Remember what people tell us, we have to accept it, and don’t try to prove them wrong.”

He discussed various religions and his experiences in the local Hindu community and talked about how many religions are closely related. He tells us that it’s not enough to tolerate others. Being tolerated does not foster healthy interactions. He advises us to have acceptance, to welcome others, and to create a happy community understanding one another. “Extend a hand of love.”

Dr. Long received his doctoral degree from the University of Chicago and became a Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College in 2000. He is the author of A Vision for Hinduism, Jainism: An Introduction, and The Historical Dictionary of Hinduism. His department at Elizabethtown College has recently pioneered the nation’s first major in Interfaith Leadership Studies. He is a scholar of religion, and has traveled extensively to India, Japan, and Europe.

Creating an Inclusive Environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Members
Joan Rater, producer
January 15, 2018

There’s no doubt that Joan Rater is a creative and talented writer as evidenced from the ratings for Grey’s Anatomy, a television drama that she co-wrote for 10 seasons. Her witty personality, craftiness with words, and love for her child, created a tale for Joan to share on LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) acceptance.

Joan was the presenter at the Hershey All Things Diversity Session held at the Hershey Story Museum on January 15, 2018. Her presentation titled Honoring the Inherent Dignity of a Human Person: A Mother’s Story, began with Joan describing a distraught phone call to her friend after learning through a loving email from her daughter Maggie, that she was questioning her gender identity. Joan said that she was scared and thoughts ran through her mind. “What will her life be like, what about surgery, will it still be the same person I know?”

Maggie was born into a female body, attended a girl’s school, but didn’t feel like a girl, which led her to suicidal thoughts. Joan said, “It’s a burden not to be yourself.” She stated that teen transgender suicide is high.

She then lightened the mood and laughed as she described the struggle the family had in using “they”, “them”, and “theirs”, as requested by Maggie until “they” could identify with a gender. She said that her mom asked for a “grandma pass” because it was so hard to change to plural pronouns in reference to Maggie, but Joan thought that it was important to try.

Maggie wanted to be called Tom. Another tug at her mother’s heart strings, “I wasn’t going to be able to use her name anymore, am I losing my girl,” she said. Joan told the audience that she cried and then she transitioned. She said, “Not much had changed and everything had changed.” As time passed, she said that she didn’t lose anyone. She mentioned the organization Transforming Families (https://www.transformingfamily.org/), a Los Angles based family support group that wants to create a positive environment for children, adolescents and their families to explore issues of gender identity. Maggie’s younger sister needed to be told, which proved not to be quite as difficult as Joan thought.

Joan talked about the power of love and explained that a child who is exploring their gender identity needs to see that they are worthy of being loved.

Tom had worn a binder to conceal his breasts. The discomfort caused from its constriction led him to choosing to have surgery to remove his breasts. As parents, Joan and her husband Tony feared “what if he changes his mind”. They realized that, “you need to choose to be who you are”. She said, “We saw that he needed this and needed to be a man.”

Later, he elected to have hormone therapy. As a musical theatre major, this would change his “beautiful” voice and affect his career. Joan said that he felt that his happiness was more important than his career. Tom became an actor and a celebrity for his transgender role as Cole, in The Fosters, a series on ABC Family.

We are grateful for Joan’s desire to candidly share her family’s experience to help the Hershey community to have open dialogue, acceptance, and love for each other and our differences.

Presenter: Lynette Chappell-Williams, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine

November 20, 2017

The U.S. now has six living generations, and each has its own attributes, based on their collective experiences. Recognizing the needs and interests of each age group helps our community develop strategies to create a more inclusive environment for all, regardless of age. “This is the first time in history that there is four generations in the workplace,” said Chappell-Williams. She provided the breakdown of the generations living in Hershey and pointed out that 37.7% of the Hershey population is under the age of 30. She presented the characteristics of each of the age groups represented.

Those born from 1928-1945 are know as the Traditional/Silent Individuals. They follow the rules and have a strong respect for authority. As employees, they are loyal to the organization and their work responsibilities take precedence over their personal pursuits.

Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 and are the first workaholics, valuing hard work and education. They prefer fact to face interactions, and formal communication styles. Also are know to be status conscious and respect driven.

Generation X are individuals born from 1965 to 1979 and seek work-life balance and prefer an informal, fun environment. They are self-reliant and prefer individual projects and minimal supervision, although work well in groups. Generation X wants informal and quick communication.

Generation Y (Millennials) were born between 1988 and 1994 and are the most diverse in ethnicity. They are motivated by encouragement and rewards and are optimistic, confident and civic-minded. They want constant email communications, speedy decisions and information to be available immediately.

Generation Z (Next) is the last generation born and has experienced a tough economy, terrorism and complexities of life. They plan to be pioneers, are multi-taskers and are connected to technology at times. They operate on a personal and professional level base on a fear of missing out.

Lynette led group discussions on how the characteristics and values of each generation affect the community and its needs, and how to create an inclusive environment regardless of age and generational differences.

Lynette Chappell-Williams, JD, is the Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion for Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine. She is a lawyer, by training, but has focused on creating more diverse and inclusive workplaces for the past 18 years.

Presenter:  Erica Weiler-Timmins, Director of Psychological Services at Milton Hershey School
September 18, 2017

“It is important to establish a culture of inclusion and respect for individual differences”

The first in a series of Hershey All Things Diversity Sessions was presented by Erica Weiler-Timmins, Ph.D., ABPP, Director of Psychological Services and Training at Milton Hershey School on Monday, September 18, at the Hershey Story Museum.

Bullying and inclusiveness cannot coexist. Bullying is unacceptable in an inclusive environment and a community is not inclusive when bullying is permitted to take place. Everyone must do their part to prevent and stop bullying to achieve a safe and inclusive community. Dr. Weiler-Timmins discussed the prevalence of observed or perceived unwanted aggressive behavior in schools in the United States. “One in five U.S. students will be bullied in school with a higher percentage occurring in middle school. Bullying occurs across all ages, socioeconomic classes, races, and cultures”, said Weiler-Timmins.

She explained that students can become victims of bullying that is physically and verbally aggressive, social in nature causing harm to their reputation and relationships, or through the use of cyber/electronic forms of communication.

Bullying negatively affects bullies, victims, bystanders, parents, schools, and a community as a whole. Studies show that students who bully and want to dominate others are more likely to drop out of school, abuse alcohol and drugs, engage in criminal activity, and have more difficulty keeping a job as an adult. Dr. Weiler-Timmins stressed the importance for parents to be a good role model for their children and to teach them that bullying is unacceptable and that there are consequences to violent behavior and mistreating others. Parents should limit exposure to television that contains violence and encourage empathy for others.

Victims of bullying can suffer from low self-esteem, anxiety and depression and become fearful of their safety at school. Parents may see warning signs that their child is being bullied such as losing their belongings, unexplained bruises and scratches, being afraid to go to school, losing interest in school, or a decline in grades. She recommends that parents talk to their children regularly about their daily life and keep the lines of communication open. Ask them if someone is treating them badly. Reassure your child that if they are being bullied, it is not their fault and do not criticize how your child is responding to the bullying. Immediately contact your child’s principal to tell them about your concerns. Provide your child with methods to prevent the bullying such as telling a teacher and being with friends or in a group.

Those who are a witness to bullying or know that someone is being bullied can feel anxiety, stress, and guilt. Anti-bullying programs in schools are effective and teach students that bullying will not be tolerated, encourage students to report bullying, and teach them to stand up to bullies and to help others. Dr. Weiler-Timmins recommends that we “harness the power of students and give bystanders the tools to step in and intervene and do the right thing.”

Dr. Weiler-Timmins is a Pennsylvania Licensed Psychologist, a Pennsylvania Certified School Psychologist and is Board Certified in School Psychology, with 20 years of experience serving at-risk youth.

All of the seats were reserved in advance for this event with representation from parents, school administrators, local government services, and citizens supportive of inclusion. “The Township of Derry asks all citizens to stand together to protect the rights of everyone and to show strength and solidarity against discrimination and negative behavior towards others. As a community, we value individual differences and support inclusion”, said Derry Township Supervisor Susan Cort.

The second session, navigating the Generations: Creating an Inclusive Community for All Ages will be presented by Lynette Chappell-Williams, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine on November 20, from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. at the Hershey Story Museum.