| Full Schedule | ||
| Date/Time | Session | Room |
| 8/21/2021 3:50 PM -to- 4:06 PM | Welcome from Dr. Brian Grim - About the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation Brian Grim Dr. Brian Grim gives an overview of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation and it's mission to showcase success stories of businesses and business leaders "daring to overcome" differences that divide and turning them into differences to celebrate. |
Plenary |
| 8/21/2021 4:10 PM -to- 4:12 PM | Dare to Overcome from Rio 2016 - Seoul 2018 - Tokyo 2021 - Washington DC 2022 - India 2023 Ban Ki Moon Yukio Hatoyama Brian Grim UN Secreatry General Ban Ki Moon and Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pass the torch from Korea (2018) to Tokyo (2021). Dare to Overcome (DTO) is the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation’s signature global conference, with the mission of shining a light on successes in promoting mutual respect and allyship among diverse communities. The United Nations Global Compact and the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation are collaborators for DTO’s signature initiative, the Global Business & Interfaith Peace Award. Main sponsors include American Airlines and the Templeton Religion Trust. DTO is held in the host city of the Paralympic Games: Rio 2016, Seoul/PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2021, as well as virtually due to the pandemic. |
Plenary |
| 8/21/2021 6:40 PM -to- 6:43 PM | Tokyo's Dare to Overcome Kenichi Shinagawa Despite the pandemic, our Tokyo team is carrying out Dare to Overcome in Japan, with limited in-person events broadcast across the nation. Have a peek at some of the participants! |
Plenary |
| 8/22/2021 10:56 AM -to- 10:58 AM | Interfaith Invocation Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook Ambassador 'Sujay' Suzan Johnson Cook opens our conference with an interfaith invocation for the people who will gather virtually in these days as well as for our loved ones, our companies and our world. We realize that not everyone prays. For those who don't, we invite you to dedicate your hearts and minds to our mission of building a more inclusive society where people of all faiths and beliefs advance a culture of engagement characterized by relationships of mutual respect and neighborly solidarity among diverse religious and abilities communities. |
Plenary |
| 8/22/2021 10:58 AM -to- 11:00 AM | Aug. 22 Overview: Social Justice, Equity and Religious Non-discrimination Brian Grim Overview of Day 1 |
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| 8/22/2021 11:00 AM -to- 11:15 AM | International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief Dr. Ahmed Shaheed Brian Grim UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Dr. Ahmed Shaheed gives a global overview of challenges to freedom of conscience, belief and religion today in a Q&A with RFBF President Dr. Brian Grim. August 22 is the United Nations-designated International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. |
Plenary |
| 8/22/2021 11:15 AM -to- 11:30 AM | Google's Journey to Religious Inclusion Barbara Phillips The UN General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/73/296, designated 22 August as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief recognizing the importance of providing victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief and members of their families with appropriate support and assistance in accordance with applicable law. Why should business people (who might or might not be religious) care that August 22 is the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief? Join Google's Barbara Phillips to learn how their Inter Belief Network (IBN) is bringing attention to this important issue through Talks at Google and other mechanisms. |
Plenary |
| 8/22/2021 11:30 AM -to- 11:35 AM | Helping Yezidi Women Recover from the Ongoing Effects of the ISIS Genocide: Learn How Pari Ibrahim In August 2014, ISIS militants swept through the Sinjar region of northern Iraq in a deliberate attempt to annihilate the Yezidis. ISIS employed brutal tactics including mass executions, rape, forced conscription of child soldiers, and sexual enslavement of young women.The immediate impact of ISIS’ devastation was that thousands of Yezidis were killed and thousands more were taken captive and sold as sex slaves in ISIS markets. To this day, almost 3,000 Yezidi women and children remain missing and almost 300,000 Yezidis still live in displacement camps in northern Iraq. Yezidi women in Khanke Camp are in acute need of vocational training and educational support. To meet this need, The Free Yezidi Foundation (FYF) currently provides vocational training such as sewing, knitting, language and numeracy, women’s rights, and ICT classes to Yezidi IDPs through its Women’s Center, located inside the camp. Join us to learn how you can help. |
Plenary |
| 8/22/2021 11:35 AM -to- 12:20 PM | Women's Empowerment Religious Freedom Film Festival & LIVE discussion Shirin Taber Nancy Sawyer Schraeder Can women succeed where men cannot? Yes, and the winner's of this year's film competition demonstrate how women’s rights and freedom of belief are inseparable -- and when these rights are respected, that's good for societies and economies. This is the Empower Women Media's and the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation's 4th annual International Film Competition and Festival. “Freedom of religion or belief gives a woman the right to choose for herself what she believes in and how she wants to live her life according to those beliefs,” explains Mariya Dostzadah Goodbrake, last year’s Grand Prize winner. The competition offers $5,000 in prize money, and the winning 3-minute films will screen before world-class CEOs, UN partners and NGO leaders in-person in Tokyo (due to covid, only for residents of Japan) and virtually through Dare to Overcome. |
Plenary |
| 8/22/2021 12:20 PM -to- 12:35 PM | LIVE Charity Auction: Free Yezidi Foundation's Women's Enterprise & Training Center Kathy Ireland Pari Ibrahim Brian Grim In the lead up to August 22, we invite individuals and organizations to place bids on items donated to help fund the work of the Free Yezidi Foundation's Women's Bakery and Enterprise Training Center in the Khanke refugee camp in northern Iraq. The training center empowers Yezidi women recover form the brutal ISIS genocide, which has ongoing effects. With the support of super model turned super mogul, Kathy Ireland, we are pleased to invite you to support this cause by bidding on the following items (more details to be announced in August): -- A week's stay in Kathy Ireland's Hawaii Holiday Residence -- Yezidi Spring, and original oil on canvas painting by Melissa-Malika -- Pro sports memorabilia (TBA) -- Other items to come 100% of the proceeds go directly to support the Free Yezidi Foundation's Women's Bakery and Enterprise Training Center. To inquire about details or to place a bid, email us! |
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| 8/23/2021 11:00 AM -to- 11:02 AM | Aug. 23 Overview: Intersection Between Faith & Abilities Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) Brian Grim Overview of Day 2 |
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| 8/23/2021 11:02 AM -to- 11:08 AM | Sign with Me and Roll With Me Toshiya Kakiuchi Yanagi Masahiro Sign With Me owner Yanagi Masahiro describes how Japenese people with disabilities add tremendous value to Japanese society through their special abilities. And Toshiya Kakiuchi, founder of the Osaka-based Mirairo Inc., will discuss "Japan and disabilities: Inclusion and strategic thinking keys to improve workplace diversity." Since Toshiya's bones are fragile and easily breakable, he is a wheelchair user. Advocating "Barrier Value" that turns obstacles into value, he founded Mirairo in June 2010 while he was in university and started a universal design business that is suitable for everyone, including the elderly and people with disabilities. The company currently provides universal design supervision, product development, education and training that incorporates the perspectives of people with disabilities. https://www.mirairo.co.jp/en/ |
Plenary |
| 8/23/2021 11:08 AM -to- 11:23 AM | Why Companies Need Employee Resource Groups for People With Disabilities, i.e., Unique Abilities Justin Greene Justin Greene, a major advocate in the inclusion and diversity community, began the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Accenture Federal Services in 2012. He currently leads membership efforts for the national PwD ERG, growing the group from 400 to close to 2,000 members across the U.S. today. He will share how when a company embraces people with disabilities in the workplace, they are really untapping the potential of their unique abilities. He will also share why companies need ERGs for people with disabilities. |
Plenary |
| 8/23/2021 11:23 AM -to- 12:15 PM | How faith ERGs can better support abilities/disabilities ERGs & LIVE discussion Haseeb Ahmad Amarjit "Jeet" Singh Bijal Majithia Dave Law This session explores how faith and abilities identities "intersect," and what faith employee resource groups (ERGs) can do to better support people with varying abilities. Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, the term intersectionality recognizes that individuals experience discrimination based on multiple and intersecting identities, including race, religion, ethnicity, migrant status, sexual identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or socioeconomic status. These individual characteristics “intersect” with one another and overlap contributing to unique experiences and may expose individuals to double or even triple discrimination grounds, making individuals more vulnerable in the workplace and in society. |
Plenary |
| 8/23/2021 12:15 PM -to- 1:20 PM | Technology, Disabilities and Ethics & LIVE Discussion Saqib Shaikh Brian Brock This session examines the intersection of Ethics, Artificial Intelligence and Inclusive Design. How can we create intelligent machines that level the playing field, and enable us all to do more? This will be a thought-provoking and informative conversation between professionals working on AI and ethicists, featuring: - Saqib Shaikh, Software Engineering Manager and Project Lead for Seeing AI at Microsoft, with decades of industry experience solving a variety of problems; and - Prof. Brian Brock, author of Wondrously Wounded: Theology, Disability, and the Body of Christ; Christian Ethics in a Technological Age. |
Plenary |
| 8/23/2021 2:06 PM -to- 2:07 PM | Para-Athlete Peace Prize - Takumi Matsumoto Takumi Matsumoto Takumi Matsumoto is an inspiration for children and adults all over Japan, and a model of "the importance of not giving up your dream." He works tirelessly to promote a fully inclusive society as well as "barrier-free minds." He helps collegues in his company who can hear learn sign language, thus opening their minds to new ways of communicationg and removing stigmas. He is a regualer speaker on this topic throughout Japan, including giving annual lectures at Sophia University on the theme of "a Para-Athlete's Perspective on an Inclusive Society and Sports for those with disabilities." He shares his passion for supporting each other's dreams everywhere he goes. Many students have been inspired by his talks and continue to challenge themselves and pursue their dreams despite many obstacles. |
Plenary |
| 8/24/2021 10:58 AM -to- 11:00 AM | Aug. 24 Overview: Business for Interfaith Understanding, Peace & Inclusion Brian Grim Overview of Day 3 |
Plenary |
| 8/24/2021 11:00 AM -to- 11:05 AM | Update from Tokyo! Kenichi Shinagawa Ken Taylor Join us for an update on the in-person events that happened in Tokyo on the eve of the Paralympic Games. In Tokyo, Dare to Overcome begins with service. In the evening of August 22nd and in the morning of 23rd, volunteers from Japanese community organizations will provide equipping seminars for people with disabilities. In Japan, those with disabilities face not only the challenges of working conditions, but also the social stigma of being a problem to the society. The Japanese word for people with disabilities “Shogaisha” actually includes a Chinese character meaning “harmful”. Therefore, the event aims to empower people with disabilities and change the society to become more inclusive and appreciative of diversity. Under the theme of “Everybody has the freedom to dream their future”, the two day event will be hosted by Sophia University at their renowned International Conference Hall in central Tokyo and will be broadcast via the web so that people can participate from everywhere. The seminar will address topics such as self identity and empowerment, getting jobs and dealing with workplace issues, and self care and stress management. Introducing ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) for disabilities is another focus of this seminar, as the international DTO brings the global ERG movement to Asia and Japan. ERGs are not well known in Japanese context at this point and there is much room to improve in workplaces for people with disabilities. The ERG movement also has the potential to change the perceptions of Japanese society by leveraging influences of global corporations that are actively promoting ERGs. We are also planning to follow up the event with a series of online seminars to continue to empower and equip those with disabilities. |
Plenary |
| 8/24/2021 11:05 AM -to- 11:06 AM | Global Business Overcomer's Award - Hiroyasu Itoh Hiroyasu Itoh Hiroyasu Itoh is CEO of Abilities Care-net, Inc. and Chairperson of the Japan Abilities Association (NPO). Mr. Itoh has been the driving force behind the Abilities movement in Japan for over 50 years. Despite having lasting effects from polio he contracted at the age of one, Mr. Itoh has successfully started many enterprises and aggressively employs qualified individuals with physical, learning, and developmental disabilities. Today, one of his initiatives, Abilities Care-net, Inc. has over 35 sales offices and rental centers for the distribution of rehabilitation and assistive equipment, operates 30 rehabilitation and care facilities in Japan. And among its staff of one thousand, individuals with different disabilities work equally alongside those without disabilities. |
Plenary |
| 8/24/2021 11:06 AM -to- 11:07 AM | Para-Athlete Peace Prize - Elham Mahmid Rosin Elham Mahmid Rosin Elham Mahamid Rozin, a Muslim, is the Israeli Women's Paralympic Goalball Team Captain, and is married to Michael Rozin, the Jewish captain of the men’s Paralympic goalball team, both of whom have visual impairments. The two met at a sports camp in Jerusalem, and, as Elham says. “We fell in love at first sight!” “Though we didn’t speak the same language, it gave me the urge to learn Hebrew.” They got married four years ago and are the proud parents of their son Amir, who is "baby" of the two teams. Elham Mahamid Rozin is a true ambassador for how Paralympic sports can be a tool to create a better society with equal rights and opportunity for all religions, beliefs, and genders. |
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| 8/24/2021 11:07 AM -to- 11:44 AM | Corporate Religious DEI as Covenantal Pluralism In Action & LIVE Discussion Kent Johnson, J.D. Jim Wellman Chris Seiple The modern corporate workplace is a most interesting example of covenantal pluralism in practice. This is in large part because the business world is placing greater emphasis on including faith and beliefs as part of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Understanding the business imperative of allowing people to bring their “whole selves” to work, including their faith, has led America’s best companies to expand their DEI initiatives to include faith-oriented Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and other faith-friendly initiatives such as corporate chaplains. Such companies include American Airlines, American Express, Texas Instruments, Intel, Target, Tyson Foods, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Google, Apple, Salesforce, Accenture, PayPal and Walmart. The commonalities between DEI and covenantal pluralism emerge because DEI initiatives are a recognition that to be competitive in today’s and tomorrow’s marketplaces, companies need to tap into the full identity, strength and potential of their employees by including religion as a full-fledged part of their DEI commitments. What are the commonalities? Join us to learn more about Covenantal Pluralism and its relationship to not only business but many other fields including foreign affairs. |
Plenary |
| 8/24/2021 11:44 AM -to- 11:56 AM | Women's CEO IRF Roundtable Ingrid Vanderveldt Sat Bachan Anthony Christina Clark The newly launched Women's CEO IRF Roundtable will share how women business leaders are at the forefront of building religious freedom in workplaces and communities by advancing a culture of engagement characterized by relationships of mutual respect and neighborly solidarity. |
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| 8/24/2021 11:56 AM -to- 11:58 AM | Greetings from American Airlines Alison Taylor Fr. Greg McBrayer Big announcement from our partner American Airlines on 2022 & 2023 Dare to Overcome |
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| 8/24/2021 11:58 AM -to- 12:00 PM | Congratulations from the 2016 Gold Medalist Y.W. Junardy Yaya Winarno “Y.W.” Junardy (Indonesia) is the Gold medalist from the 2016 Global Business & Interfaith Peace Prize. Indonesia is a multi-religious country where in the past, massive riots fell along racial, ethnic and religious lines, often directed at businesses and business owners, many of whom were minorities. The threat of violence is exacerbated by poverty. A pressing problem is that millions of couples from all faiths are unable to wed due to costs and bureaucracy, which leaves their children without legal status hindering their future opportunities, such as education and work. Y. W. Junardy, head of a large Indonesian investment company, uses his business know-how to solve the problem. Working with businesses, the government and religions, he facilitates weddings and receptions for thousands at a time presided over by ministers of each faith. The couples and their children immediately gain legal status and real hope for the future. |
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| 8/24/2021 12:00 PM -to- 1:05 PM | Global Business & Interfaith Peace Awards, Virtual Anthem & LIVE discussion 2021 Global Business & Interfaith Peace Medalists Pat Gelsinger Khalid Khowshnaw King Husein Dr. Judith Richter Maurice Ostro, OBE, KFO Peter Mousferiadis Candice Corby *** Gold Medals: PAT GELSINGER & SANDRA RIVERA (Intel); Dr. JUDITH RICHTER (Medinol, NIR School of the Heart); KING HUSEIN (Span Construction & Engineering). *** Silver Medals: JOHN TYSON (Tyson Foods); MAURICE OSTRO (Ostro Fayre Share Foundation); PETER MOUSAFERIADIS (Cultural Infusion). *** Bronze Medals: Khalid Khowshnaw (Hemn Group); Dr. JOHN GATHRIGHT (Tree Climbing Japan); CANDICE CORBY (Cobra Legal Solutions). |
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| 8/24/2021 1:05 PM -to- 1:11 PM | Dare to Overcome Grand Finale - Global Choir and LIVE Discussion with Awardees Kyoji Ohno Dr. John Gathright John Tyson Sandra Rivera Join us for a reprise of the grand finale, with full credits listing all 200 participants from around the globe! |
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