LOS OLIVOS — Bestselling author and Emmy-nominated journalist Irshad Manji is leading a free virtual workshop at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Dunn School, which is in Los Olivos, is hosting the program, which is “designed to give local educators practical skills to resist the lure of an us-vs.-them mindset,” according to a news release.
The 90-minute program is titled “Inclusion Through Moral Courage,” and it’s sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Inclusion Lab.
Ms. Manji, who’s an educator, will guide participants to draw from their lives to meet the challenge of understanding and being understood in times of awkward tension, high emotion or deep division.
Educators throughout the county and beyond are invited and may register at us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoc-irpz0tGdd1U7w4RTih_3_Un-4_ydVU) or by contacting the workshop host, Dunn School head of School Kalyan Balaven (www.dunnschool.org).
“In the true spirit of professor Manji’s teachings, the Inclusion Lab is free from us vs. them,” the head of school said. “It’s a coalition of educators coming together for the benefit of making all of our students feel seen, heard and known at each of our schools.”
Said Santa Barbara Unified School District Superintendent Hilda Maldonado, “Without inclusion of those from all corners of life, our society and our nation is not as strong as it can be. The welcoming of all ideas and backgrounds makes for a better world, one where humanity is prioritized over politics and class differentiation.”
Ms. Manji was a guest on The Whole Student podcast in December, when she viewed her own grade school educational experiences through her brand of empathy.
— Dave Mason
