Chats for Change | Mount Sinai
Activities that spark conversations.
Below is the spring/summer Chats for Change schedule. If you are a member of the Mount Sinai Health System, you are welcome to join us for these sessions.
What Can You Expect?
Beginning in May, we are launching two new series:
- In Action: You’ll learn three tools that can be applied to your day-to-day work that will move you to action.
- Deeper Dive: You’ll learn to further unpack some of the past Chats for Change topics that sparked inspiring dialogue.
We’re also offering new topics such as colorism, anti-Asian violence, COVID-19 vaccines, anti-racism as a professional imperative, the promise of America and what’s happening “in the news.” The “Back to Basics” series will also continue this spring-summer where we will continue to examine “How does it work?” to deepen our understanding of key concepts such as racial equity, white supremacy culture, racial gaslighting and anti-racism.
These sessions will not be recorded.
Schedule of Events
April 2021
Turning Education into Action: Indigenous Land Acknowledgements
Do you know the history of the land you’re on? Join us for a discussion of indigenous land acknowledgments — what these are, why they’re important, and how to think about them in your life and institution. As part of this conversation, we will discuss how indigenous land acknowledgements are practiced in relation to white supremacy culture, racial trauma informed work, and educational spaces.
Facilitators: Brandon Dale (MD/PhD student), DeAnalisa Jones (MD student), James Blum (MD student), Paloma Scott Orozco (MD student), Dr. Leona Hess
Tuesday, April 6 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Scientific Racism: Combating Scientific Racism
Part three of the “Scientific Racism” series. How can we combat scientific racism as individuals and as an institution? Join us as we discuss the intersectionality of science and politics and how to leverage our expertise and position.
Facilitators: Jessica Tan (MD/PhD student) and Dr. Ann-Gel Palermo
Tuesday, April 13 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Monthly Student Healing Circle
All Icahn School of Medicine students are invited to attend this cathartic healing session.
Facilitator: Dr. Leona Hess
Friday, April 16 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Intersecting Oppression: Ageism x Racism
Part four of the “Intersection Oppression” series. Join us as we explore the relationship between age and racism.
Facilitators: Alia Barnes & Jenn Meyer
Tuesday, April 20 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Back 2 Basics: Microagressions—How Does it Work?
Being anti-racist results from a conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. Join us as we demystify anti-racism and examine our mindsets, behaviors and practices that impede us from being actively anti-racist.
Facilitators: Alia Barnes & Dr. David Muller
Tuesday, April 27 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
May 2021
In the News
What’s happening? Join us as we critically deconstruct a current newsworthy topic related to racism and bias.
Facilitators: Dr. Ann-Gel Palermo
Tuesday, May 4 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Back 2 Basics: Racial Equality—How Does it Work?
Join us as we explore the process for analyzing or diagnosing the impact of decisions and actions on underserved and marginalized individuals and groups, and to identify and potentially eliminate barriers.
Facilitators: Dr. David Muller
Tuesday, May 11 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Racism in the Time of COVID: Vaccines
People of color are receiving COVID vaccinations at dramatically lower rates than white Americans. We’ll discuss some reasons why and what it will take to change course.
Facilitators: Jenn Meyer & Peter Zweig
Tuesday, May 18 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
In Action: The Power of Empathy
The heart of empathy is in our ability to compassionately connect with our own and others’ humanity. Join us as we explore nonviolent communication (NVC) empathy, and how we can demonstrate empathy by guessing the feelings and needs of others.
Facilitators: Dr. Leona Hess & Dr. Maria Maldonado
Tuesday, May 25 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
June 2021
Back 2 Basics: White Supremacy Culture—How Does it Work?
Join us as we focus on white supremacy culture, a culture that supports the idea that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to People of Color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions. This idea (or ideology) is the glue that binds together institutional policies and practices to create a national and global white supremacy system.
Facilitators: Dr. David Muller
Tuesday, June 1 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
The Roots of Colorism
The foundation of colorism is built on the US system of slavery and European colonialism. It is fueled by contemporary systems of race, color-based discrimination, and practices of racial discrimination. Join us as we deconstruct the toxic legacy of colorism in America and how it manifests within and between Asian Americans, Latinx and African Americans.
Facilitators: Dr. Leona Hess & Michelle Sainté-Willis
Tuesday, June 8 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Deeper Dive: Racism x Sizeism
How do we combat the intersectionality of sizeism and racism in medicine? Is it possible to move beyond the colonial preference for thinness? Join us to continue the conversation on how we can move beyond fat-phobia. In this session, we’ll take a deep look at the steps we have to take in order to move forward.
Facilitators: Jenn Meyer
Tuesday, June 15 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
In Action: Addressing White Supremacy Culture in Real Time
White supremacy culture (WSC) is all around us, but do we know when it’s happening, and can we tell when we’re part of the problem? Join us as we deconstruct WSC, talk about its manifestations in real time, and figure out how to stop it in its tracks.
Facilitators: Dr. David Muller
Tuesday, June 22 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
In the News
What’s happening? Join us as we critically deconstruct a current newsworthy topic related to racism and bias.
Facilitators: Alia Barnes
Tuesday, June 29 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
July 2021
Promise of America
What, to all Americans, should the Fourth of July be? Join us as we come to grips with the fact that America’s first promise, equality, may never have been intended and has not been fully realized. Let’s examine the interconnectedness between those who were intentionally excluded from the declaration of independence—enslaved Africans, Native Americans and women—and the disparities and inequities we see today.
Facilitators: Dr. Leona Hess & Paloma Orozco Scott (MD Student)
Tuesday, July 6 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Back 2 Basics: Racial Gaslighting—How Does it Work?
“Why is it always about race?” “______ people are racist too.” “Are you sure that’s what happened?” “In my opinion, I don’t think that they were being racist, I think…”Join us as we examine how we sustain systemic racism through gaslighting.
Facilitators: Dr. Leona Hess & Alia Barnes
Tuesday, July 13 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Deeper Dive: Looking Towards the End of Segregated Care
What would a desegregated, anti-racist healthcare system look like and how do we get there? Join us to continue the conversation on how we can move our current system toward this vision. In this session, we’ll take a deep look at the steps we have to take in order to move forward.
Facilitators: Adriana Pero (MD student), Bethany Dubois (MD student), Dr. Leona Hess, Zay Smolar (MD student)
Tuesday, July 20 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
In Action: How to Be an Active Bystander
Have you ever been in a situation where somebody says something or does something racist but it didn’t occur to you, so you don’t intervene? Have you ever wanted to speak up but didn’t know how? Join us as we discuss ways to be an active bystander.
Facilitators: Alia Barnes & Ashley-Michelle Fowler
Tuesday, July 27 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
August 2021
Back 2 Basics: Anti-Racism—How Does it Work?
Being antiracist results from a conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. Join us as we demystify anti-racism and examine our mindsets, behaviors and practices that impede us from being actively anti-racist.
Facilitators: Dr. Ann-Gel Palermo & Dr. David Muller
Tuesday, August 3 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
America’s Legacy of Anti-Asian Violence
An uptick in violent assaults against Asians/Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in the wake of COVID-19 is part of a larger context of xenophobia, sinophobia, and America’s jingoistic history resulting in violence and marginalization of AAPI people and their cultures. Join us as we examine the history of anti-Asian sentiment in this country and its implications in science and healthcare.
Facilitators: Ashley-Micelle Fowler & Dr. Leona Hess
Tuesday, August 10 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Anti-Racism: A Professional Imperative
What could be more important than the moral imperative of anti-racism? The professional imperative.
Clinical practice and scientific investigation have always been deeply flawed because of the way we see and incorporate race into our daily work. This is not about being politically correct, it’s about avoiding another generation’s worth of bad science and misguided medical care. Join us to discuss the importance of anti-racism as the organizing principle of our professional practice.
Facilitators: Ashley-Michelle Fowler & Dr. David Muller
Tuesday, August 17 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
In the News
What’s happening? Join us as we critically deconstruct a current newsworthy topic related to racism and bias.
Facilitators: Jenn Meyer & Peter Zweig
Tuesday, August 24 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
In the Know
Interested in learning more about the Racism and Bias Initiative (RBI)? Join us to learn about the initiative’s transformational change process towards becoming a health system and health professions school with the most diverse workforce, providing health care and education that is free of racism and bias.
Facilitators: Alia Barnes & Dr. Leona Hess
Tuesday, August 31 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
These sessions are intended for the Mount Sinai Health System community of students, faculty, and staff. After registering for any of the sessions above you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting, including an option to add the invitation to your calendar.
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