Be A Witness

The quickest way to fight discrimination is to be a witness for change. Do you cut someone off when they start to tell a racist joke (before the punch line)? Do you support the victims of discrimination after they have been attacked?

There are four levels of witnessing that will be defined during the presentation:

1. Dis-witnessing
2. Passive Witnessing
3. Active Witnessing
4. Ethical Witnessing

Just like a car running over someone at a crosswalk it is the witness to the accident that has all the power. They have the ability to report the driver to the police, they can help the victim or they can put their hands in their pockets and walk the other way. Sometimes the hardest thing about getting involved is knowing what to do. Knowing how to react to hate and discrimination is a skill, a skill that improves with practice.

During our “Hate - Don’t Buy In” school presentations the students will have an opportunity to take part in a variety of scenario’s/role plays that address witnessing skills and anti-discrimination responses.