In the first days after the presidential election, the Southern Poverty Law Center administered an online survey to over 10,000 educators across the country. Their findings showed an upswing in verbal harassment, slurs, derogatory language, and disturbing incidents among students. Another non-profit, Teaching Tolerance, conducted a survey during the campaign season and noted similar results. With heightened anxiety around the election, the lessons in respect for others and navigating demeaning behavior has become ever more important.

Praxis Peace Institute is proud to host Robert Fuller in Sonoma. He will address the serious topic of bullying and how to deal with it in school, the workplace, and in our relationships. Fuller has identified “rankism” as a form of exerting power over others from positions of advantage, and he will offer concrete practices and explain how we can navigate this type of behavior. With a new administration in Washington, DC, one that appears to normalize bullying and demeaning behavior, this is a timely and constructive presentation that offers practical tools for participants to take with them after the event. There will be ample time for questions and discussion as well as information on local resources for further help with these issues.

Robert Fuller, Ph.D., former president of Oberlin College, is an internationally recognized authority on bullying, racism, sexism, and rankism. His work focuses on dignity and developing respect in human relations. He has given lectures to organizations, educational institutions, tech companies, and medical centers. His books and ideas have been widely covered in the media, including the New York Times, Oprah Magazine, the BBC, NPR, C-SPAN, and many others. In the 1980s, Fuller worked as a citizen-scientist to improve the Cold War relationship with the USSR, which led to the creation of the non-profit global corporation Internews, promoting democracy and independent media. He is the author of Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank and All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity.