Rehman Abdulrehman

But where are you Really from? Resolving Unconscious Bias

Topic

Having unconscious bias doesn’t necessarily make you a racist, but being complacent in our thinking and not addressing such bias can lead to discrimination and micro-aggressions, dividing instead of uniting a population. Meeting institutionalized racism and unconscious bias with increased mindfulness helps shift our thinking from US vs. THEM to WE, which is necessary in diverse societies.


Bio

Dr. Rehman Y. Abdulrehman, Ph.D., C. Psych. is a consulting and clinical psychologist with LeadWithDiversity.com and is the founder and director of Clinic Psychology Manitoba. He is an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, and a visiting professor at the State University of Zanzibar and Zanzibar University.

His clinical work in anxiety and confidence prepared him for the tense and difficult conversations required to work on diversity and inclusion. Having been in leadership roles, working with leaders in different sectors, and having the lived experience of being a newcomer to Canada, he is a strong believer that change occurs not only from the bottom up (advocacy) but also from the top down (leadership coaching and consulting).

A Canadian born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with family and ethnic roots from Zanzibar, Dr. Abdulrehman understands how lived experiences are equal to, if not greater than education and training, especially in understanding the nuances associated with cultural issues.

Dr. Abdulrehman spends his spare time with photography, writing poetry, trying to get back into painting, creating smartphone apps to build confidence, being a sidekick to a 4.5 year old Batman, and last but not least, cake-mongering. He enjoys creative and innovative approaches to problems and loves the balance between art and behavioral science.