Moral Courage: the No-Shaming Alternative to Mainstream Anti-Racism Programs
Led by bestselling author and Oprah award-winner Irshad Manji, Moral Courage is a unique method for achieving diversity without division
Let Grow, the national nonprofit that promotes independent thinking and emotional resilience in young people, introduces Moral Courage ED to empower students to hear, not fear different perspectives.
Innovated by bestselling author and Oprah award-winner Irshad Manji, the research-backed Moral Courage Method offers a unifying alternative to “intersectionality” and related models of anti-racism. The no-shaming practice allows students to grow beyond cancel culture.
“Shaming is a misguided remedy for racism,” says Manji. “Shaming fuels fear, incites defensiveness, and widens divides. The healthier approach is to cultivate Moral Courage — speaking truth to the power of our defensive brains. By first lowering our own emotional defenses, we can lower the defenses of others. We lead by listening. That’s what the Moral Courage Method teaches.”
Moral Courage ED supports middle and high school teachers, student cohorts, parent groups, and entire educational districts. Its offerings include LIVE virtual workshops, faculty book clubs, and professional certification through Oxford University. In late May, the organization will be launching an online course for educators called “Diversity Without Division.” Watch a preview.
Renowned scholar and activist Cornel West describes Moral Courage as “a powerful force for good.” Dr. West helped Manji launch the Moral Courage Channel on YouTube and exemplifies its values in his own cross-ideological friendships.
Raquel Majeski, assistant head at Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA, says that Moral Courage has been “transformational” for her school’s culture. “It’s one thing to talk about social justice. But when you’re empowering students, faculty, and staff to courageously address disagreement and discord, that’s the real work.”
To learn about what Moral Courage ED does with schools, visit moralcourage-ed.org.
About Moral Courage ED
Moral Courage ED empowers students to hear, not fear, different perspectives. By providing the tools to communicate across lines of difference and disagreement, the Moral Courage Method achieves diversity without division.
Moral Courage ED is led by Irshad Manji, winner of Oprah’s inaugural “Chutzpah Award” for boldness and The New York Times bestselling author, most recently, of Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars. Manji teaches with Oxford University’s Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights, academic partner of Moral Courage ED.
It is presented by Let Grow, the national nonprofit that promotes independent thinking and emotional resilience in young people. To learn more, visit moralcourage-ed.org.
About Let Grow
Let Grow is the national nonprofit that promotes independent thinking and emotional resilience in young people.
Founded by Free-Range Kids pioneer Lenore Skenazy, research psychologist Dr. Peter Gray, former chairman of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Daniel Shuchman, and NYU professor Jonathan Haidt, co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind, Let Grow innovates programs for elementary as well as secondary school students.
In the Pre-K-8 space, Let Grow provides two free, easy-to-implement offerings for schools: The Let Grow Project and Let Grow Play Club. These initiatives get students doing, exploring, and playing more on their own. As a result, they organically develop social-emotional skills including empathy, problem-solving, creativity and confidence. For middle and high schools, Let Grow presents Moral Courage ED, which empowers students to hear, not fear different perspectives.
Let Grow has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, PBS and more. To learn more about Let Grow, visit letgrow.org.
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SILKMentoring
3 年Congratulations
Financial Analyst I Sustainability I Project Management I Commercial Real Estate
3 年Congratulations Ishrad! Thank you for the work you do - it is so needed by the world right now! Interesting parallels to the work being done by Chloe Valdary’s theory of enchantment. In the off chance you don’t know of each other, you may find eachother’s work very interesting.
A brand without meaning is a brand without value.
3 年Love this. So important to understand the how the heavy hand of PC ends up shaming and “tribalizing” people who need to soften and grow. Had the pleasure this year of meeting Michael A. Tennant who uses a card game to create a safe place for people to cultivate empathy and discover their own biases.
Hon. Frances Lankin, PC, CM, LL.Ds (HC), Ed.D (HC), Senator, Senate of Canada, Corporate Director.
3 年Congrats Irshad. This looks like a high impact program. All the best.
Professional Speaker and Advisor | Award-Winning Podcast Host | Hitchhiking Rabbi | Vistage Speaker | Create a culture of ethics that earns trust, sparks initiative, and limits liability
3 年This approach is so desperately needed. With society devolving into militant tribalism, we look to voices that promote mutual respect and constructive disagreement. Congratulations, Irshad Manji!