BackThe United States Ombudsman Association (USOA) hosted a four-hour virtual training on 22 October 2020, entitled “Poverty, Race, and Consciousness”. The presenters were Dr. Shariff Abdullah and Dr. Donna M. Beegle. There were 98 individuals registered for the event, 17 of which were IOI members. The event was funded by an IOI subvention.
Two predominant issues that impacted the world in 2020 were COVID-19 and racial protests, both of which have shown a light on the seriousness of existing racial and financial disparities in our communities as it relates to medical treatment, employment, and discrimination. The objective of the training was to examine how unconscious biases get in the way of dismantling poverty and racial barriers in Ombudsman work and the communities we serve.
The training explored the intersection of race and class and examined how subconscious bias gets in the way of breaking barriers in our personal and professional lives. The speakers also shared practical strategies to be conscious of racism and poverty.
Survey responses called the training “eye-opening” and described the speakers as “inspirational.” One attendee stated that “this was by far the best training I’ve attended in quite some time. It left me wanting to learn more.” One hundred percent of the survey respondents said they would recommend the training to a colleague.
USOA is deeply grateful for IOIs’ financial support of this important and worthwhile training.
Source: United States Ombudsman Association (USOA)
