GENTRI to perform their hit “Dare” @ Dare To Overcome – GENTRI, the Gentleman’s Trio, will provide the musical entertainment for the 2022 Signature Global Conference Dare To Overcome Gala in Washington DC at the Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business on May 24, 2022, sponsored by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation. More information here.

GENTRI has performed all over the United States and across the globe. They have shared the stage with world-renowned talent, including Tony Award-winning powerhouse Kristin Chenoweth, international tenor sensation Alfie Boe, Tony Award-winning vocalist Idina Menzel, and legendary rock bands Journey, Blondie and One Republic.

GENTRI has released three EP’s and three full length albums, the most recent being “Noel”, GENTRI’s second Christmas album, which debuted #6 on iTunes pop charts, just under Taylor Swift. Almost all of GENTRI’s albums have reached #1 on various Billboard charts.

The Gents are also known for their award-winning music videos, such as their cover of Let it be, which have been featured on news outlets around the world including ABC World News, NBC Nightly News and Inside Edition.

Join us at Dare to Overcome (May 23-25, 2022) to see how your company’s employee resource group (ERG) can make a difference in ending human trafficking.

Bill Clark, A21’s Chief Advancement Officer, will give us the latest information on the global crisis of human trafficking, including insights on how the war in Ukraine is contributing to the challenges. He will provide practical resources ERGs can utilize immediately.

Following Bill Clark’s presentation will be a plenary panel by Dell Technologies Interfaith ERG, sharing how they partnered with A21 in a worldwide campaign. Any company looking to engage on this topic won’t want to miss these important sessions!

When? May 23, Dare to Overcome afternoon sessions. REGISTER NOW

by Matt Friedman, CEO, Mekong Club | Guest Post in Blog Series, Authenticity & Connection

Human trafficking, which represents the recruitment, transport, receipt and harboring of people for the purpose of exploiting their labor, affects almost all parts of the world. Globally, it is estimated that there are over 40 million men, women and children in situations in modern day slavery today. These victims, who can be found in factories, construction sites, within fisheries and sex venues, are forced to work for little or no pay, deprived of their freedom, and often subjected to unimaginable suffering.

While most people think that human trafficking focuses primarily on women and girls being forced into the sex industry, this represents only about 25 percent of the total cases. The remaining 75 percent fall under the heading “forced labor.” Out of this figure, about 60 percent of the victims are associated with manufacturing supply chains, which begin with a grower or producer and end as a finished product purchased by consumers in the retail market.

Over more than a decade, the international human trafficking community has not come close to meeting its full potential. While individual, small-scale success stories can be found, many victims are never identified. For example, the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) was only able to account for 108,000 victims receiving assistance globally. During the same time period, there were less than 8,000 convictions. This means that less than 0.2 percent of the victims are being identified and assisted each year. This number has remained unchanged for several years.

Why are these numbers so low? According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the profits generated from this illicit trade are estimated to exceed US$150 billion annually. But despite the size of the problem, annual global donor contributions add up to only around US$350 million, which represents approximately one percent of total profits generated by the criminals. With this in mind, it is not surprising that the number of trafficked persons continues to increase. In fact, the UN has indicated that there are more slaves in the world today than at any other time in history.

For the world to really make a difference in addressing this problem, the private sector must become a player in this fight. Why should the business world care about this? First, most forced labor cases have some direct or indirect link with the private sector. Unlike the United Nations and other civil society organizations, the private sector knows how to root out bad businesses and already has the necessary skills and capabilities to tackle the problem, e.g. legal, compliance, accounting, communications, and financial expertise. Second, labor trafficking often under-cuts the price of legitimate businesses, offering an unfair advantage to those involved. Third, when human trafficking conditions are found in a given business sector, it can result in an entire industry receiving a “bad name.” This trend is emerging in the electronics, garment, chocolate and seafood sectors. Fourth, this topic is becoming a growing public concern (similar to environmental issues), with more and more consumers asking questions about whether the products they buy are “slave free.” Fifth, with new legislation out of North America, Australia, and Europe, it will be expected that most ESG declarations address this topic. Finally, and most importantly, slave-like conditions have been and will always be incompatible with good business.

What can retail and manufacturing companies and faith-oriented employee resource groups do to play a role in addressing the problem? First, they can look at their business to determine if there are any risk factors. Based on this risk, companies can take specific measures to maintain a slave-free supply chain, including:

• — Conducting investigative audits that illuminate the real conditions faced by workers throughout the continuum of the supply chain and describe them in qualitative and quantitative degrees to top-level corporate decision-makers;
• — Conducting action-oriented training for staff in global corporations and their suppliers with the goal of expanding awareness and helping reduce the negative impacts of global sourcing;
• — Consulting at the points of maximum leverage on how to implement effective human rights protections within global businesses; and
• — Facilitating multi-stakeholder initiatives that join private sector business, workers, labour, civil society and governments to focus on both strategic and practical levels with the goal of achieving positive social change.

In addition to these internal actions, companies can also ask themselves the basic question – “What if this was our problem — how would we go about addressing it?” Every corporation is encouraged to explore ways of using their skills, expertise and comparative advantage to be part of the solution. For example, a law firm could come up with legal remedies. A communications corporation could come up with technology and IT solutions. Having these contributions would help to come up with new, innovative approaches.

But the actions don’t have to stop here. In addition to corporate responses to this issue, professionals from all walks of life can also be a part of the solution. For example, you can learn about today’s slavery and help educate your friends and family. You can consult with the internet for up-to-date information on this topic. Every person reached potentially adds another soldier to the fight.

For more information about this topic, please consider reading my new Penguin book, WHERE WERE YOU?: A PROFILE OF MODERN SLAVERY. In this memoir, I explore the early days of meeting modern slavery survivors and recount true stories of enslavement in Asia. I recall painful moments that literally changed my life, reflect back on the different approaches to fighting human trafficking over the last 35 years and give an account of the early beginnings of the fight against modern slavery before the phrase “human trafficking” was adopted. Here is a short fireside chat (9 minutes) to describe why I wrote the book.

As a final note, I believe that collective actions have the greatest chance of impact – and that an army of ordinary people working together can change the world.

Breaking News (EIN)

The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation is pleased to announce today that the Ford Interfaith Network, a Ford Motor Company employee resource group, joins as a corporate sponsor of Dare to Overcome, our annual Faith@Work ERG conference.* In 2022, Dare to Overcome will be an in-person gathering where Fortune 500 faith-and-belief employee resource groups (ERGs) come together to share best practices and build supportive, intersecting networks nationally and globally.

“I’m thrilled to have Ford come on board as a Gold Sponsor of Dare to Overcome,” said RFBF President Brian Grim. “Their Ford Interfaith Network employee resource group has been operating for more than 20 years and played an instrumental role bringing interfaith understanding during challenging times. I’m looking forward to the panel they are putting together for Dare to Overcome showcasing how people of different faiths are allies of one another within their company and the communities they serve!”

The 2022 theme is “Better Together,” reflecting an emphasis on being strong allies of others — with a special focus on those with differing abilities. Dare to Overcome will be held in Washington DC in partnership with the Busch School of Business, May 23-25, 2022, and then move onwards to India in 2023.

“The Ford Interfaith Network strives to assist our Company and colleagues in becoming worldwide leaders in promoting religious inclusion and understanding, corporate integrity, and human dignity,” said Samah Affara, Chairperson of the Ford Interfaith Network. “We strive to ensure our colleagues have the freedom and comfort in bringing their whole selves to work, expressing their faith in God, in an appropriate and meaningful way, while promoting religious understanding and mutual respect.”

“This led us to a collaboration with Dr. Brian Grim and to sponsor and participate in the 2022 Dare to Overcome Conference,” Affara said.

* American Airlines is the global partner and official airline of Dare to Overcome. The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America is co-host of Dare to Overcome 2022.

by Kent Johnson, J.D., Senior Corporate Advisor, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation

Part of the blog series, Authenticity & Connection

You’re going to hear more in coming weeks about the upcoming blockbuster conference Dare to Overcome by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF). This short column will introduce one new feature of this year’s conference that we’re calling a “Human Library.”

The testimonials of attendees at previous RFBF conferences are fantastic and compelling. The speakers have been wonderfully qualified, deeply insightful and riveting. Also, many who attended in-person in 2020 were moved by what they learned from and the relationships they forged with other attendees, including people of varied faiths. Muslims and Jews, atheists and Baptists, Sikhs and Hindus, agnostics and Buddhists met, connected and engaged significantly on the topic of faith and life at work.

This year, we want to amplify opportunities for that kind of person-to-person connection. Our goal with the Human Library is to advance personal and authentic cross-faith, cross-cultural engagement. It’s a non-threatening way to learn and build bridges in a manner that follows the teachings of our respective faiths.

The 30-minute Human Library event will take place on the second day, after our speakers have sown a lot of thoughtful ideas. We’ll provide some suggested questions in advance for this interaction, including:

1. (1) How does your faith relate to your personal identity – who you are?
2. (2) What principles taught by your faith relate directly to the conduct of your work?
3. (3) What does your faith teach about authority, teamwork, serving and work relationships?
4. (4) Other relevant facts about the other’s faith, such as the meaning behind their main religious holidays, clothing, diet, schedule, etc.

If you’d like to suggest standard questions for this activity, we’d love to see them in advance! Contact Kent@religiousfreedomandbusiness.org. In any case, feel free to explore any questions you have!

To help match participants, we’ll ask registrants to identify the top three religions/belief systems they’d most like to engage with, and we’ll do our best to accommodate those wishes. Multiple participants may be assigned together with a person of a particular faith; and some will be one to one. (We’re learning on the logistics of this; so bear with us.)

For these encounters, we ask that participants focus on learning. The human Library is not intended to be a forum for convincing others to convert. That said, we encourage participants to look for common ground, and not to shy away from learning about differences.

We won’t put anyone on the spot. If you’d just like to spectate in one of the sessions, tell us. If you’re pleased to share about your faith, tell us. In any case, this is entirely voluntary.

Email me at Kent@religiousfreedomandbusiness.org if you’d like to participate!

We’re looking forward to seeing you at the conference!

DEI has become a priority of companies across the world, and for good reason. There is a clear business case for building effective DEI initiatives in the workplace. But what about faith and belief? Are they part of DEI? How should faith and belief be addressed at work?

Paul Lambert, Senior Business Fellow at the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, is a leading expert on the role of faith and belief in the workplace. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies across the country to build faith and belief accommodation within DEI.

In this Apr. 13 webinar, hosted by Partners Personnel, Paul will discuss what the data says about faith and belief in the workplace and share best practices and tools used by many of the world’s most successful companies. REGISTER TODAY

Phoenix (Apr. 21)

Learn about the positive power faith and religion have on business and the economy. Our expert panel will share how their organizations are using Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to recognize and allow people of faith to gather, discuss and honor their faith, at work.

Come hear a powerful discussion about how large businesses are embracing and being religiously inclusive at work. This panel, hosted by the BYU Management Society of Phoenix, will be lead by Dr. Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation (RFBF).  He will be joined by:

• — May Mowzoon, Associate Director Patent and Transaction Law at Intel, Chandler, AZ
• — Craig Carter, Product Manager, Analytics Systems, Team/Corp Culture Advocate. Leader at Intel in Chandler, AZ
• — Fr. Greg Mc Brayer, Chief Flight Controller at American Airlines, chaplain, and bi-vocational priest in the Anglican Church

Bring questions to understand how they are doing it and how you can introduce this in your organization. REGISTER TODAY

Finally, if you’re interested to learn more about the faith@work diversity movement, join us in person at our May 23-25 Dare to Overcome annual faith@work ERG conference and awards.

Dare to Overcome’s theme is “Better Together,” which we mean in all senses of that phrase. With our partner, American Airlines, we hope you can join us in-person.

by Brian Grim

Republicans, Democrats, young, old, black, white, religious, non-religious, all agree. The Golden Rule — do unto others as you would have them do unto you — is a necessary part of their lives.

The 2022 Deseret-Marist “Faith in America” poll found that treating others as they themselves would like to be treated is a necessary ethic. In other words, Americans agree that putting others first is necessary.

This is the exact message of our upcoming Dare to Overcome national faith@work ERG conference. It’s not about claiming what’s best for me, but it’s about standing up for what’s best for my neighbor.

If you share this same spirit (92% do, according to the poll), please join us in Washington DC this May 23-25 to be inspired by how people of all faiths and beliefs are putting the Golden Rule to practice in their workplaces.

BTW: April 5th was officially Golden Rule Day (see post from Amb. Mussie Hailu). But given the poll’s findings, isn’t every day?!

Message from Ambassador Mussie Hailu* of URI, a partner of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation

Dear Colleagues,

As we are celebrating the Golden Rule Day on April 5, I want to present you greetings of peace and blessings on behalf of members of United Religions Initiative (URI) from all over the world and want to say to our Muslim brothers and Sisters, Ramadan Kareem.

For a culture of peace, inter-religious & inter-cultural harmony, respect among nations, human dignity and social justice to prevail on Earth, it is high time to promote the teaching of the Golden Rule throughout the world and introduce it in the school curriculum as part of education for peace.

Our wellbeing increasingly depends on how well we interact and live together with others based on the teaching of the Golden Rule which says “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

In this interrelated world we need the Golden Rule more than ever as it is a fundamental human value needed today as the basis for peaceful co-existence, Compassion, Social Justice and Human Dignity.

To treat others like we want to be treated requires a constant active consideration of how our words and actions affect others. By putting this time-honored principle into daily practice, and asking our friends, families and leaders to do the same, we can work toward creating a greater understanding,  respect for one another and promote  a culture of peace and interfaith harmony.

The Golden Rule will help us to appreciate both our differences and the common values that bind us to one another. It helps us to recognize pluralism and respect diversity.

As you know our shrinking “global village” is evolving into a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious society and in this interconnected world, the peoples of all nations are our close neighbors and our well being increasingly depends on how well we interact and live together based on the teaching of the Golden Rule as the Golden Rule is the roadmap to build peaceful co-existence, social cohesion, harmony, human dignity and secure a better future for this generation and generation yet to come.

Among the many reasons why we need to celebrate the Golden Rule Day and live accordingly every day in our life and pay due attention for the teaching of the Golden Rule is because:

• – It calls us to extend our concern beyond ourselves and to embrace a greater understanding and respect for others
• – It is the roadmap for inter-religious and inter-cultural harmony
• – It is the pathway for peaceful co-existence, harmony, equality and promoting human right, mutual respect, dignity, compassion and unity in diversity
• – It is affirmed in many religions, traditions, indigenous cultures and secular philosophies as a fundamental principle of life and the foundation on which a global ethic is founded
• – It is a universal message which is accepted throughout the world
• – Its message is simple, universal and powerful
• – It is the most prevalent and universal moral principle in human history
• – It summarizes the basic teaching of compassion, non-violence, respect, and honoring the dignity of all living beings.
• – It is the best guide we have to help peoples of the world to live together in mutual respect and harmony
• – It is a way to disarm fear, to open the world for better change and to lay the foundations for lasting peace
• – It is a preventive mechanism and antidote to discrimination, disrespect, greedy, violence, crime, hate speech and incitement which leads to war and the violation of human right
• – It is the best way to counter violent extremism, radicalization and xenophobia
• – It transcends our differences and encourages us to consider the well-being of all life forms on Earth and it helps to recognize pluralism and respect diversity

It is with this in mind that, in 2007, the United Religions Initiative-Africa and Interfaith Peace-building Initiative (IPI) a URI CC based in Ethiopia declared April 5 as a “Golden Rule Day” and called upon all citizens of the world, religious leaders, Mayors, heads of state, the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the League of Arab States, interfaith organizations, schools, higher learning institutions, the business community, civil society and all other stakeholders to join URI-Africa and IPI in proclaiming April 5 as Golden Rule Day and to live accordingly to make this world a better and peaceful for all. I am so happy to inform you that since then about 900 organizations in 170 countries have joined us in proclaiming the Golden Rule Day. Since 2007 more than 4 million copies of the Golden Rule poster have been distributed throughout the world by URI-Africa.

In addition to this, in 2007 we also started the Golden Rule Goodwill Ambassador program to highlight and promote the Golden Rule. Since 2007 every year we honor individuals or organizations who set a good example for the teaching of the Golden Rule with the Golden Rule Medal, Plague and appoint them as a Goodwill Ambassador of Golden Rule.

For new ways to unfold before us, for tears to bathe wounds of war, for hatred to soften into harmony, for greed to turn to generosity each of us need to be the change we want to see in the world and live according to the teaching of the Golden Rule as world peace is only possible when we start to make peace within ourselves, our families and in our respective communities.

As citizens of the world, we need to open our hearts and minds to understand the uniqueness of each one of us and to pour out the spirit of love, compassion, forgiveness and living for the sake of other so that our hearts will open more and our minds will understand the depth of our call as human being living in the 21st century. We need to avoid violence in all its forms and stand up for a culture of peace by making the Golden Rule the first article of our faith and the last article of our creed.

Each of us needs to commit ourselves as best as we can to become nonviolent and to make personal pledges to peace and to be instruments of peace.

Let us walk the talk by taking practical action and live according to the principle of Golden Rule in our daily life.

Let us support the initiative of Karen Armstrong “Charter for Compassion” which is the base for the Golden Rule.

May Peace, Golden Rule and Compassion Prevail in our Heart, Mind, Family, Community, Country and the World.

May Peace Prevail on Earth!

In peace and gratitude,

• Amb. Mussie Hailu
• Director of Global Partnership &
• Representative to African Union & United Nations
• Regional Director for Africa
• United Religions Initiative

* Ambassador Mussie Hailu is a peace builder who is working at national, regional and international level in promoting a culture of peace, the teaching of the Golden Rule, reconciliation, interfaith & inter-cultural harmony, human dignity, disarmament, compassion for animals, building right human relationship, constructive dialogue, environmental protection and building bridges for international cooperation for the common good of all humanity and Mother Earth. Currently he serves as Director of Global Partnership and Representative of the United Religions Initiative to the United Nations and the African Union.

1. 1. Establish when Ramadan is approaching and who this could affect at work. Muslims will not mind if asked about the upcoming month and without having to be direct, one should be able to know whether or not they will be fasting.
   

   ---

2. 2. Ensure all staff that work with Muslim colleagues are aware of what fasting entails and how this could impact someone. Fasting 17 hours a day is not easy and colleagues need to appreciate how this can translate into behaviour and working practices.
   

   ---

3. 3. If shift work is the norm, look at any changes that can be made to offer those fasting the opportunity to swap shifts or change their working hours in a way that suits all parties.
   

   ---

4. 4.For those in 9-5 roles, consider flexitime options for start and finish times. See if allowances can be made for people to work lunch hours and breaks in return for an earlier finish. Given the current circumstances, with many employees working from home, it should be easier for employers to allow greater flexibility for Muslim employees who are fasting.
   

   ---

5. 5. Asking a Muslim to attend a lunch meeting or a Friday ‘wind-down’ drinks party (even if it is an online video meetup) demands a lot of them. Many may politely agree, as will many decline. Be understanding of those that do not feel comfortable sitting and watching people eat and drink.
   

   ---

6. 6. Make special allowances for Muslims to take a break at sunset to break their fast if they are front-line workers and still happen to be on shift. This needs to be ample time to break their fast, pray and then eat properly.
   

   ---

7. 7. If your organisation has a canteen for workers, try and arrange for some meals to be saved for people fasting so they are not left choice less at the end of their day.
   

   ---

8. 8. Avoid booking in meetings for the afternoon. If high concentration levels are needed from people, don’t expect this after lunchtime. Use the morning when people are still relatively fresh.
   

   ---

9. 9. Do not expect people to commit to evening events, even if they are just online video meetups. The evenings are dedicated to eating, prayers and potentially virtual gatherings within the family and wider community.
   

   ---

10. 10. Be prepared for people to take between 1-5 days holiday at the end of Ramadan to celebrate Eid. This has the emotional equivalent to Christmas and is the one time of the year whole families and neighbourhoods usually get together to share presents and good food, however it is likely to be a very different celebration this year due to the pandemic.
    

    ---

11. 11. For fasting team members who are working remotely, work out time differences and how their daily routine will impact you in terms of meetings, deadlines, SLAs, etc.
    

    ---

12. 12. Try and use Ramadan as a platform for greater understanding and improving team dynamics. Why not throw a virtual or in-person iftar one evening and allow people to share a part of their lives with colleagues?