BRENDA REED Brenda Reed Mediation Services Diversity Articles

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Nina Meierding: Gender and Culture in Mediation - Video (3/17/10)
Nina Meierding
Nina Meierding explains putting theory to practice regarding studies of gender and culture in mediation. She describes being sensitive and respectful of diverse thought processes and communication methods.

David Hoffman: Concerns, Lack of Professional Diversity, and Public Funding - Video (3/17/10)
David A. Hoffman
David Hoffman emphasizes the need for more racial/ethnic diversity in the field in order to have the widest reach, broadening the movement. He also discusses the problem of community mediation programs being underfunded.

Gender Bias in ADR (3/08/10)
Diane J. Levin, Victoria Pynchon
This is the list of blog postings compiled by Diane Levine and Victoria Pynchon on Gender Bias in ADR which have been posted in celebration of International Women's Day and Women's History Month.

Update On Gender Diversity In The Judiciary And In ADR (3/08/10)
When I posted Negotiating Gender: Why So Few Women Neutrals? I had not yet found a source for the statistical representation of women neutrals on the American Arbitration Association Panel. I've now located an article on the AAA website from December 18, 2006 stating that women then made up 13% of AAA's national roster of neutrals.

Combating Implicit Gender Bias in ADR (3/08/10)
Victoria Pynchon
Now you know the disappointing statistics. As women have populated the Bench, justice has become more privatized, lessening the benefits of diversity to those whose disputes lead them to Court; to arbitration panels and associations; or, to mediation panels.

Doing It Backwards And In Heels: A Prescription For Remedying Implicit Bias In ADR (3/08/10)
Diane J. Levin
Yesterday I pointed readers to an electrifying series by commercial mediator and arbitrator, Victoria Pynchon, which rips the lid off the ADR profession’s secret and unacknowledged shame: the absence of women and minorities from the prestigious ADR panels:

Negotiating Gender: The Old White Men Speak (3/08/10)
Victoria Pynchon
And they do so in favor of diversity. See commercial arbitrator and mediator F. Peter Phillips' November 2006 National Law Journal article: ADR Continental Drift: It remains a while, male game. I promised prescriptions for change and here are a few sent to me by Peter Phillips this morning. Peter was, as I am now, a member of the CPR Diversity Committee.

Diversity, Bias, Gender, And Race In ADR: A Hard Fight To Level The Playing Field (3/08/10)
Diane J. Levin
As I was getting ready for the start of the mediation training I was teaching, one of the participants, just arrived, approached me to tell me to get him a cup of coffee. Despite my power suit and the flip chart markers in my hand, he had mistaken the lead trainer for a member of the support staff.

Negotiating Gender Bias In ADR: The Commercial Client Speaks (3/08/10)
Victoria Pynchon
I am not advocating here for "special treatment" for women neutrals. I am advocating for the end (or simply the diminishment) of "special treatment" for male neutrals.

Negotiating Prejudice At U.C. San Diego (3/01/10)
Victoria Pynchon
As the New York Times reports this morning, things are not going well at my old alma mater. Shades of my late-60's, early '70's campus life, students have actually "occupied" the Dean's office even though the trigger for the racial dust-up was not University policy but the activities of a few dunderheaded frat boys who staged a "Ghetto Night" to "mock" Black History Month.

Mestizaje As Strength: Articulating Plurality Within Group Identities (2/15/10)
Jeff Stoesz
We are all involved in a variety of people groups that define our identity and relationships to people of other groups. Group identity can be an incredibly strong tie between people or it can be relatively weak. Certain groups - such as the KKK, minority student unions or the black population in the US - have historically expressed group identity in both positive and negative ways. The key to healthy group identity expression is found in an understanding of the plurality of our identities, particularly the concept of mestizaje and the mixing or blending of group allegiances.

Mediation: Staying Culturally Relevant In A Multicultural World (1/19/10)
Nina Meierding
Many mediators have been trained solely in a Western-style model of mediation with Western-style tools in their “toolboxes.” Even the theoretical constructs of ADR often reflect a Western model that is not always respectful of culturally diverse concepts. While using Western techniques does not inherently mean that the interventions will not be successful, it does mean that they are less culturally sensitive. Internationally, it may also be seen as the United States bringing its process to another country that already has had its own conflict resolution processes in place for generations.

Update on Christian Teen Who Ran Away from Muslim Family (1/19/10)
Keith Seat

The teenager who ran away to Florida from her Muslim family who she said threatened to harm her for converting to Christianity has returned to Ohio. At a court hearing, an Ohio judge rejected the family’s request for mediation without attorneys present, and agreed with the girl’s attorney to continue with counseling and delay mediation.

SNP Online.com (December 23, 2009)

You Say “Hello”, I Say “Adios”, Conflict Versus Difference In The Workplace (12/21/09)
Lorraine Segal
In the U.S., when we walk past someone we don’t know, what do we say?

Cultural Mediation Is Not Cultural Mix-Mash (12/07/09)
Paola Bernardini
In Italy, mediation has grown within the business setting and family context. Cultural mediation, however, has not yet gained so much public attention. This is probably due to the fact that mediation is still wrongly perceived as a form of compromise, rather than as an alternative way to do justice.

Guest Blogger 09- Jose Pascal da Rocha (11/23/09)
Jeff Thompson
Please enjoy the following submission as the fifth installment of the 2009 Guest Blogger series. Today's guest blogger is Jose Pascal da Rocha. Honestly, there is too much to say about Pascal I wouldn't know where to begin. For example, ask where he has been and I think the answer is, "Yes, twice." Like my other guest bloggers, I am happy to present his submission for everyone to enjoy. You can read more about him [here].

Intercultural Negotiation is as easy as 1-2-3, or is it? (10/12/09)
Steve Mehta
It’s as easy as 1-2-3 you say. Well that may not be so easy if you are dealing with intercultural communications. I recently read some research on that highlighted the importance of intercultural communications. Negotiations are often fraught with problems anyway. Adding the additional element of intercultural differences can make it extremely difficult to deal with.

Mediation Ordered in Case of Christian Teen Who Ran Away from Muslim Family (10/06/09)
Keith Seat

Significant attention has focused on the case of an Ohio teenager who claims her Muslim father threatened to kill her for converting to Christianity. The girl ran away to a church in Florida in July. A Florida judge ordered that the girl and her parents should participate in mediation, and ruled that the girl would remain in foster care until the matter is resolved.

CNN.com (September 4, 2009)

Mediators Support President’s Beer Summit (9/08/09)
Keith Seat

Various mediation organizations and mediators spoke out in favor of mediation of the conflict between Professor Henry Gates and Sergeant James Crowley or of President Obama’s specific efforts to bring the men together in an effort to improve their communication and understanding of each other. However, while food or beverages can benefit a mediation, beer was questioned as a general purpose mediation tool.

Newsplex.com (July 30, 2009); Forbes.com (July 30, 2009); Wall Street Journal Law Blog (July 24, 2009); Boston.com (July 24, 2009); Settle It Now Blog (July 24, 2009)

Johnsons Win Diversity And Equity Award (9/03/09)
ACR
The Rev. Nelson Johnson and Joyce Johnson have won the Marvin E. Johnson Diversity and Equity Award from the Association for Conflict Resolution for their commitment to restorative justice, truth and reconciliation efforts in Mississippi.

The NYPD & The Three C’s: Communication, Community & Cricket (8/23/09)
Jeff Thompson
Often when I speak about conflict and dispute resolution I mention three words that I consider to be my mantra in regards to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Communication, Understanding and Peace are what I strive to create in all my interactions, be it as a mediator, conflict coach, consultant, or as a police officer in the New York City Police Department.

Beer Summits And Presidential Mediations (8/10/09)
Colin Rule
I've wanted to post something on Obama's Beer Summit for some time, but I thought it best to let the dust settle before weighing in. The racial hot buttons made it harder to focus on the conflict management approach behind the engagement. I think now the time has come to process what happened.

How President Obama Gets To Yes (8/03/09)
John Sturrock
President Barack Obama's willingness to acknowledge that he had chosen his words badly in his response to the incident involving Harvard professor Henry Gates and a Massachusetts police sergeant – and his suggestion that all three of them meet up at the White House for a "beer summit" – marks him out yet again as a man who is able to act in a way which is different to that which we often expect of politicians.

The Beer Summit (8/03/09)
Jan Frankel Schau
Here's to President Obama and his brave and wise staff who understood the power of mediation this week as he invited the Harvard Professor to confront and discuss his arrest with the Cambridge Police Chief at the White House.

The Cop The President The Professor And Civil Harassment Mediation (7/27/09)
Victoria Pynchon
It's merely coincidental that I volunteered to mediate civil harassment petitions for the first time during the same week as Gatesgate.

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