Mohammed Bilal

1. ADMIT TO YOUR HOMOGENEITY, your lack of diversity. Verbalization of the problem creates a fertile foundation for growth.
2. KNOW YOURSELF: be balanced, self-confident, and clear-headed; once you know yourself, there is no need to hate or dislike difference. Create a family tree, meditate or fast.
3. LOOK FOR COMMONALITIES, NOT DIFFERENCES: re-train your mind to detect commonalities and similar interests with others, not gap-widening differences.
4. LEARN & TEACH: use every cross-cultural interaction as a time to learn and teach.
5. TRY NOT TO JUDGE
6. BREAK ONE CULTURAL HABIT WITH ANOTHER: once a month, exchange one normal cultural experience for a new and different experience.
7. YOU ARE BOUND TO MAKE MISTAKES: it's natural, be sensitive, respectful, and apologetic. Stick with it.
8. TRAVEL: as much as possible.
9. READ: everything! Consciously decide to read books and articles you have no immediate interest in to uncover information you may otherwise miss.
10. LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE: every facet and nuance of a culture is revealed through its language. A new language helps you to think differently.
11. LEARN TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PREJUDICE (PRE-JUDGEMENT) & TRUE DISLIKE: use trust as a barometer and foundation for real friendship. Psychic action on the things we’ve been pre-programmed (socialized) to believe.
12. TURN TO YOUR SOURCE OF LIGHT: use this inner-power to embrace diversity.

How do we disempower HIV/AIDS? This lecture attempts to displace the negative stereotypes and mindsets attached to HIV/AIDS, and replace them with positive archetypes and empowered mindfulness. The main aim is to educate the spirit, to burst through the statistical ritual, and learn, at the most basic level, what HIV/AIDS means and how it lacks any real power to destroy love and happiness. The disempowerment of HIV/AIDS is most important for youth, who are developing (almost daily!) ways to look at themselves and the world. This lecture blends facts, figures, narratives, poetry, and hip-hop story-telling.