Course description and syllabus

Everyone deserves access to safe communities, and often people with marginalized identities are inadvertently harmed in our communities. In the Understanding Diversity in Community course we will explore the various dimensions of diversity, including race, age, class, gender, sexuality and disability. You’ll learn about the unique challenges and experiences of each identity as well as the way that these forms of diversity intersect and overlap.

Throughout the course, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with your fellow students and share your own experiences and perspectives on these topics. By the end of the course, you’ll have a greater understanding and appreciation of the diversity that exists within our world as well as the importance of promoting inclusion and equity for all.

Classes and topics in the Understanding Diversity in Community syllabus include:

1st Class: Race and Ethnicity

• introduction and ground rules
• resources to dive deeper
• common biases and microaggressions
• stages of response

2nd Class: White Supremacy

• white supremacy culture in intentional communities
• cultural appropriation

3rd Class: Gender and Sexuality

• gender and sexual identities
• the triangle of consent

4th Class: Disability and Age

• ten principles of disability justice
• neurodivergence in community

5th Class: Socioeconomic Status and Closing

• socioeconomic status
• intersectionality
• wrap up and reflections

Your instructor

Crystal Byrd Farmer

Crystal Byrd Farmer is an organizer and consultant in the intentional communities movement. She serves as Co-Director for the Foundation for Intentional Community and is on the Editorial Review Board of Communities Magazine published by the Global Ecovillage Network-United States. She also serves as Co-President for the BIPOC Intentional Community Council. In 2020 she published The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization. Crystal is passionate about encouraging people to change their perspectives on diversity, relationships, and the world.

Learn more about Crystal and her work here.

Testimonials

“This course was a great way to connect with others and feel less isolated in my experiences. It also offered insights into identities I don’t inhabit that will help me understand others more and be a better ally.”

-Fatima Hirsi

“I’m strongly encouraging other people in our community to attend [Understanding Diversity in Community]. The class was so well organized and I appreciated the variety of topics covered from BIPOC to disabilities-related issues. Crystal packs a lot of material into a short time, offering practical suggestions that we can put in practice in our mainly white community. I found the resources and homework to be really useful and insightful. I feel that I gained a much deeper understanding of how white supremacy lives in me and how I can grow and evolved in my relationships with non-majority-culture people.”

-Sara Bruya

“Participating in this course was the most important thing I’ve done this year. Crystal’s presentation was organized, moving and real. We covered how to prepare our community and ourselves for relating with and creating safety for members of multiple abilities, races, identities, ages and ethnicities; mistakes to avoid and tools for conflict resolution. The additional resources will be my ongoing project.”

-Kathleen Biernat

“Really valuable space to talk about topics that we sometimes avoid or are not sure how to talk about! Emphasis on ICs makes it particularly relevant. The discussion about ‘self-appointed white ally’ and allyship vs accomplice moved my understanding forward; appreciated and was challenged by some of the discussions around disability, in particular about mental health. LOVED the resources (articles and videos).”

-Karen Cowgill

You might also be interested in

• Navigating Conflict and Restoring Connection (Inside Community Podcast episode with Alyson Ewald)
• Becoming a Communitarian (10-hour pre-recorded course)