The election of Donald Trump has been met with a mix of caution and fear from minorities in our communities—with good reason. The normalization of xenophobic rhetoric coincided with an increase in hate crimes, bullying, and violence. This week’s Issue Time is led by three people whose organizations work to counter xenophobia and bring people closer together:

Riham Osman is the Digital Media & Communications Strategist at the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s (MPAC). Riham works to protect the civil rights of American Muslims through the use of digital media public affairs and advocacy.

Jessica Reeves is the Chief Operating Officer at Voto Latino. In her role, she is responsible for developing and managing key partnerships and programs that help to advance the organization’s mission to bring new and diverse voices into the political process by engaging youth, media, technology and celebrities to promote positive change.

Ann Burroughs is the Interim President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum and Chair of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA.

The Action ask box is open.

Send in your stories, questions, concerns—whatever. Our panel will start responding on Saturday January 21st.

Unconscious bias—whether it’s targeting race, religion, sexuality, ability, body type, or the mountain of other ways in which we judge each other—does not necessarily stem from active hate, and is not as easy to spot within our friends and ourselves. But it impacts our communities every single day. So we need to do a better job acknowledging it.

We can start by taking this Harvard Implicit Bias Test. The most responsible thing we can do right now is recognize ways to improve ourselves.

This Issue Time features a panel of experts answering your questions and addressing your concerns on Implicit bias.

Ask our panel of experts a question now

Laura Mather, PhD, is an expert on unconscious bias and the neuroscience behind decision-making. She has built creative software solutions for the National Security Agency, eBay, and her own startups, Silver Tail Systems and Talent Sonar. Her work has been featured in many outlets including NPR and the New Yorker and her writing can be found in Ozy, Salon, Time Motto, Fast Company, Forbes, and the Huffington Post, where she is a regular blogger. She is the winner of the Anita Borg Institute’s 2017 ABIE Award for Technology Entrepreneurship.

Tanya M. Odom is a global consultant, coach, facilitator, writer, teacher, storyteller, ally, and thought-leader focused on equity, civil rights, and diversity and inclusion. Tanya’s unique portfolio career has allowed her to work in the education, private sector/corporate, not-for-profit/NGO, law enforcement, and university/college arenas. Tanya’s work focuses on topics including :  Diversity and Inclusion, Inclusive Leadership, Race/Racism, Challenging Conversations, Mindfulness, Coaching, Innovation and Creativity, Educational Equity, and Youth Empowerment/mentoring.

Joe Gerstandt is a speaker, author, and advisor bringing greater clarity, action, and impact to organizational diversity and inclusion efforts. As a keynote speaker and consultant, Joe works with everyone from Fortune 500 companies to small non-profits.

Bryant T. Marks, Sr. is a minister, researcher, master teacher and human developmentalist.  His calling/passion/purpose is to develop the knowledge, wisdom, and skills of others that will allow them to reach their full potential and live their lives with purpose and passion. He is particularly driven to identify the factors that foster the affirmative personal and academic development Black males and create programs and publications that incorporate these factors. Dr. Marks combines research from social, educational, and cognitive psychology with hip-hop, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and African/African American history to engage, inform, and inspire audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Our panelists will begin to answer your question this Friday, October 6.

This is Kylie Jean ❤️
Kylie was born with a pretty common heart defect. We were assured that most children grow out of it by the time they are 2 and those ones that don’t, usually always grow out of it by the time they are 4.
Unfortunately, the valves pumping blood to Kylie’s heart have not grown in they ways we have hoped and now almost 5 and a half, we start our journey to find the best solution for Kylie and will see just what her diagnosis is for the future.

We are able to double insure Kylie due to the protections pre-existing conditions have under the ACA. Without insurance, a heart surgery will bankrupt not only my husband and I but her father and step-mother as well. There is no reason why 4 hard working people should be forced to loose their homes in order to save their child. We would gladly give our home to save her life, but it’s pretty awful when you have to choose to be homeless to save your child in this country.

Today on World Refugee Day, we commemorate the courage, strength, and perseverance of refugees, asylum seekers, and internaly displaced people. There are currently over 65 million refugees in today’s world–the highest number in recorded history. They have been forced to flee their home due to life threatening conditions ranging from drought and famine to religious persecution or war. Now, more than ever, it is time to #StandWithRefugees and raise awareness to the plights and obstacles they face.

We hosted our first Issue Time dealing with how the global community can support, improve the position of and stand in solidarity with refugees, and communicate how and why refugees are human beings, just like us, first and foremost. Our panel, Madge Thomas, Deputy-Director of Global Policy and Advocacy, Global Citizen, Piper Perabo; Actress, Activist, and IRC Voice; International Rescue Committee, Elmo, Sesame Street Muppet, Sherrie Westin, EVP for Global Impact and Philanthropy, Sesame Workshop and Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait, answered your questions here.

Looking for for some actions you can take right now?

- Millions of children around the world are in crisis – because of conflicts and disasters, many of them will never learn to read or write, or even enter a classroom. Ahead of World Refugee Day, Global Citizen will host our first Issue Time panel on our Tumblr page. Sign the petition to ask world leaders to pledge to the Education Cannot Wait fund for kids in crisis.

- The worst humanitarian crisis since World War II has ripped apart families, left children out of school, destroyed homes and revealed some ugly sides of humanity. But many people around the world have continued to support and provide for refugees with open arms, whether they’re individuals or governments. Write a letter to a refugee to show your support.

- Globally over 65 million people are forcibly displaced. They have left everything behind, fleeing from conflict, violence and natural disasters. Ahead of World Refugee Day, Global Citizen will host our first Issue Time panel on our Tumblr page. Sign the petition to urge the 20 most powerful countries to protect and support refugees everywhere.