Truly listening differs from simply hearing. When you are listening you put the other person first, you prioritize them, and you are there for them. Listening is meant to be a meaningful interaction that promotes understanding between the people involved. It is selfless and non-judgemental. Meanwhile, hearing is an automatic process that requires little to no effort on our end.

Whether we want to admit it or not, by human nature we are predisposed to having biases that get in the way of us truly listening to what people are saying to us. Subconsciously, we have assumptions that come about when someone different from us is telling us something, and these assumptions can hinder us from seeing that person as who they really are or hearing what they are really saying. We need to overcome this and work on ourselves to genuinely listen. Even at such times as we are currently living in, when there is so much hatred and racism present, make sure to take a step back and reevaluate things, be intentional about what you say, and be open to listening to others.

Stop and Listen is a movement created by the American Indian Community Center to end racism — period. We believe that a world without racism LISTENS!

We encourage everyone to be intentional and to better themselves daily by being kind, grateful, respectful, inclusive, and non-judgmental. We urge you to STOP and LISTEN before you act.

In order for cultural change to occur, we need to intentionally practice active listening and wipe away our preconceived assumptions. We need to take action and strive towards creating a better world. This is something that will take time, it will also take humility, vulnerability, and unlearning just as much as learning.

Join us in this movement — tell your story and help us inspire and teach the world that when you intentionally make these practices a habit, it creates a diverse world without racism.

We invite you to share your stories about how active listening is creating a more diverse, kind, generous, grateful, inclusive, respectful, and loving world that embraces equality for all.