AIC Hosted Anya Cordell Lecture
Date: March 28th, 2012
Time: 6:00pm Dinner, 6:30pm Lecture
Venue: American Islamic College Room 123
Title: AN ALLY’S JOURNEY; STANDING UP TO STEREOTYPING, ISLAMOPHOBIA, XENOPHOBIA & “APPEARANCE-ISM”
Anya Cordell, Recipient of the 2010 Spirit of Anne Frank Award,
was a beauty-obsessed teen who grew into a passionate and powerful spokesperson against intolerance, “appearance-ism” (appearance-based judging) and the designating of any group as “Other”. We are susceptible to fashionable attitudes as well as to fashion, and these attitudes can become destructive stereotypes. Anya’s unique journey as a Jewish woman, standing against post 9/11 Islamophobia and xenophobia, demonstrates how we can truly bridge cultural barriers, recontextualize current media messages, and create effective initiatives against bias, all while reclaiming our own worth and esteem. A program for all groups, (and ages, from adolescents to adults), that will transform your view of yourself and others, and inspire you in surprising ways.
Bio:
Anya Cordell is a speaker and writer, using the universal
experience of the injustice of “appearance-ism” (appearance-based
judging of ourselves and others), as a core issue to inspire everyone to
combat all types of bias, (see www.Appearance-ism.com). She founded
The Campaign for Collateral Compassion, to raise awareness of the
post 9/11 backlash against Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and others and the
murders of innocent members of these groups. She is also the
author of RACE: An OPEN & SHUT Case, which unravels
traditional presumptions of what we call “race”, named among the
“books to change your life” by N’Digo Magazine, and author of the
acclaimed piece, “Where the Anti-Muslim Path Leads.”
Anya’s writing and work has been featured in many media, including the
Washington Post, USA Today, ABC-tv’s “Someone You Should
Know”, Chicago Public Radio, The Chicago Tribune, Dallas
Morning News, Tikkun, Chicago Jewish News, Common Ground News
(Search for Common Ground), Patheos.com, IslamophobiaToday.com, American
Muslim Radio 360, Radio Islam, Mindful Metropolis, and many more.
