DCR’s Education and Training Unit

DCR Anti-Discrimination Trainings

The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR) offers trainings aimed at preventing and addressing discrimination through its Education and Training Unit. These interactive sessions educate participants about their rights and responsibilities under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the New Jersey Family Leave Act, the Fair Chance in Housing Act as well as raise awareness about current anti-bias issues.

All trainings are currently being offered for FREE to the public.

**If you have many people hoping to attend a training together, please CONTACT US to request a private training for your group.

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If you would like to discuss how to make a training program more accessible, please CLICK HERE to contact us via email.

Training Requirements

DCR uses Zoom for all virtual trainings. Zoom is a free platform for participants that can be accessed on the web or downloaded as an app. All trainings are interactive and require the following guidelines:

  • Cameras are requested to be turned on
  • Each attendee must individually register
  • Each attendee must be on a separate device (smartphone, tablet or computer)
  • Attendees must log onto zoom using the same name used for registration
  • Full attendance is required to receive a certificate of completion

Trainings with insufficient registration may be subject to cancellation. If so, registrants will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled training date and can then register for a different training date.

Current Training Offerings

Rights and Responsibilities

These trainings educate participants about their rights and responsibilities under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the New Jersey Family Leave Act, and the Fair Chance in Housing Act.

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination in the Workplace

All employees are entitled to a workplace that is inclusive and free from discrimination. This training will provide an overview of how the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) protects employees from harassment and discrimination. Through case studies and other interactive exercises, participants will examine the rights afforded to all employees and the responsibilities of employers to protect those rights. Topics include what constitutes a hostile work environment, workplace accommodation requirements, employer liability, and reporting processes. Participants will also explore the ways in which implicit biases can lead to discrimination, and how to foster respectful environments in which discrimination and harassment are not tolerated.

Click on a date to register

April 11, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
May 9, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
June 13, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
July 11, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
August 13, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Oct 17, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination in Housing

All New Jersey residents and those seeking housing have the right to an experience that is free from discrimination. This training will provide an overview of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) and review housing protections under the LAD. Through case studies and other interactive exercises, participants will examine topics including source of lawful income discrimination, steering, sexual harassment, reasonable accommodations, and service and support animals.

NOTE: This training provides a broad overview of housing protections under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. For an in-depth exploration of how criminal history may be considered during the housing application process, sign up for our training, NJ Division on Civil Rights Fair Chance in Housing Act.

New Jersey Real Estate CE Approved

NJ Real Estate CE Approved- 2 credits

Click on a date to register

April 17, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
May 22, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
June 20, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
July 23, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
August 27, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Sept 25, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Oct 24, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace and the Law Against Discrimination

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD) requires employers to make adjustments to job or work requirements that make it possible for employees to perform the essential functions of their job and enjoy equal employment opportunities. Under the NJLAD, reasonable accommodations apply to disability, religion, and pregnancy and breastfeeding/bodyfeeding. This training will provide an overview of what reasonable accommodations are, who is eligible for them, and how requests for accommodations are initiated and carried out. Through case studies and other interactive exercises, participants will examine topics including the interactive process, undue hardship, non-apparent disabilities, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and telework as an accommodation.

Click on a date to register

March 26, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
May 15, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
July 2, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Sept 5, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Oct 30, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Undervalued: How Home Appraisal Discrimination Impacts New Jersey’s Communities of Color

In 2022 the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released 47 million appraisal reports to the public for the first time, confirming what many people of color have long known and experienced – there is systemic and widespread racial inequality in the home appraisal process. This data revealed that the proportion of properties that are undervalued in “high minority tracts” (communities that are more than 80% people of color) is 74% greater than the proportion in white tracts. Such disparities contribute to a wide gap in homeownership rates and further expand the racial wealth gap.

In this webinar, New Jersey fair housing and industry experts will discuss the history of housing inequality, current research on appraisal bias, and protections the NJ Law Against Discrimination provides against unfair appraisal practices. Participants will also learn about the groundbreaking work of the New Jersey Home Appraisal Discrimination Task Force, led by the Division on Civil Rights’ (DCR) and Division on Consumer Affairs’ (DCA). There will be an opportunity for questions and answers during the session.

Panelists:

  • Nichole Nelson​​​​, Senior Policy Advisor, National Community Reinvestment Coalition
  • Joseph Palumbo, Chief Operating Officer, Worth Valuation Services, Inc.; NJ State Appraisal Board Member
  • Aarin Michele Williams, Chief Advisor to the Director, New Jersey Division on Civil Rights

Click on a date to register

April 22, 2024 – 12:00pm-1:30pm
May 29, 2024 – 10:00am-11:30am
NJ Division on Civil Rights Fair Chance in Housing Act

Today, nearly one-third of the adult working age population in the U.S. has a conviction record. Many of these people have been denied housing, though most pose no threat to their communities. New Jersey’s Fair Chance in Housing Act (FCHA) remedies this form of discrimination by establishing a fair process for consideration of conviction histories during the application process. Join us for this interactive training that will provide an overview of FCHA, including effective implementation strategies and model forms that can be utilized by housing providers. Participants will also explore how conviction record screenings have disproportionately impacted communities of color, and consider ways to create discrimination-free housing environments.

NOTE: This training focuses specifically on the Fair Chance in Housing Act and consideration of criminal history during the housing application process. For a more general overview of housing protections, sign up for our training, The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination in Housing.

New Jersey Real Estate CE Approved

NJ Real Estate CE Approved- 1 credit

Click on a date to register

March 27, 2024 – 9:30am-11:00am
May 30, 2024 – 9:30am-11:00am
July 9, 2024 – 9:30am-11am
August 28, 2024 – 9:30am-11am
October 1, 2024 – 9:30am-11am
Hair Discrimination and the NJ Law Against Discrimination

This training will focus on race discrimination based on hairstyle. It will cover the history of this type of discrimination and the Division on Civil Rights (DCR) investigation into a hairstyle-related incident at a high school wrestling match. It will also cover a guidance document issued by DCR explaining that race discrimination includes discrimination based on a trait inextricably intertwined or closely associated with race, such as hairstyle, and the CROWN Act, which codifies these protections into law in NJ and in other states.

Click on a date to register

April 18, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
June 18, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
August 1, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Oct 8, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
The NJ Law Against Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation

All New Jersey residents have the right to be in spaces open to the public without experiencing discrimination. This training will provide an overview of what places of public accommodation are and are not, and how the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) regulates these entities. Through case studies and other interactive exercises, participants will examine topics including disparate treatment, disparate impact, sexual harassment and other types of hostile environment harassment, reasonable accommodations, and assistance animals.

Click on a date to register

May 23, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
July 16, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Aug 29, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Oct 9, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am

Discrimination and Harassment Prevention

These trainings offer a deeper dive into anti-bias topics. They proactively address discrimination and bias-based harassment by examining real world situations. Each training provides participants with practical strategies for preventing bias, harassment and discrimination.

Understanding Implicit Bias

This interactive, virtual training will introduce participants to the concept of implicit bias. Participants will consider how implicit bias manifests in our interactions with others and explore strategies for addressing implicit bias in ourselves and in the workplace. Participants will also learn about how the NJ Law Against Discrimination protects individuals from discrimination and bias-based harassment in the workplace.

New Jersey Real Estate CE Approved

NJ Real Estate CE Approved- 3 credits

Click on a date to register

May 8, 2024 – 9:30am-12:30pm
June 25, 2024 – 9:30am-12:30pm
August 6, 2024 – 9:30am-12:30pm
Sept 26, 2024 – 9:30am-12:30pm
Oct 29, 2024 – 9:30am-12:30pm
Recognizing and Responding to Microaggressions

Microaggressions are subtle acts of exclusion that many people routinely experience and struggle to address. This interactive, virtual training will explore the ways that microaggressions manifest in our daily lives and impact our relationships with others. Through examples and discussion, participants will deepen their understanding of microaggressions and investigate effective strategies for responding to microaggressions that they experience and commit. Participants will also learn about the NJ Law Against Discrimination and how microaggressions can contribute to hostile environment harassment and disparate treatment. This deeper dive into the topic of microaggressions requires a basic understanding of implicit bias.

Click on a date to register

March 28, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
May 29, 2024 9:30am-11:30am
July 31, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Sept 11, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Oct 10, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Strategies for Effective Bystander Intervention

This interactive, virtual training explores the factors that influence bystander intervention and strategies for intervening effectively in response to bias and discrimination. Participants will investigate the cognitive and psychological processes that inhibit and encourage bystander intervention. Then, using case studies and interactive media, participants will be introduced to and practice research-based strategies for  responding to explicit bias, “everyday” or casual forms of bias, and bias expressed in digital environments.

Click on a date to register

April 9, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
May 21, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
August 22, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Oct 31, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Language of Diversity

A study by the organization, More in Common, shows that 80 percent of Americans believe “political correctness is a problem in our country.” Many people feel cynical about what they feel are the excesses of diversity culture. Yet bias incidents are on the rise in many communities, and talking about issues related to diversity is more important than ever. In this training, participants will explore current research on inclusive language and why it is an important part of dismantling bias. Through interactive exercises, participants will unpack current terminology related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and discuss strategies for using the “language of diversity” in ways that promote understanding rather than division.

Click on a date to register

April 3, 2024 9:30am-11:30am
May 7, 2024 9:30am-11:30am
June 4, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
August 8, 2024 – 2:00pm-4:00pm
Sept 12, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Oct 22, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am

Youth Bias Prevention

These trainings are for participants who have an interest in protecting young people from discrimination and/or educating youth about anti-bias topics.

Affirming LGBTQIA+ Identities in School

This training explores the ways in which LGBTQIA+ people are silenced in school life, and examines strategies for fostering greater visibility and affirmation of LGBTQIA+ people and topics at K-12 schools. Through interactive exercises, video and audio clips, and large and small group discussion, participants will deepen their understanding of LGBTQIA+ identities and terminology, identify ways to respond effectively when anti-LGBTQIA+ bias is expressed, and integrate LGBTQIA+ content into instruction. Participants will also learn about how the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination protects the rights of LGBTQIA+ students.

Click on a date to register

August 20, 2024 – 9:30am-11:30am
Having Anti-Bias Discussions in Class

This virtual training will address the importance of discussing topics related to prejudice and discrimination in the classroom. Participants will explore guidelines for discussing sensitive topics, how to manage conflict, and pedagogical tools that facilitate critical thinking. Participants will also learn how the NJ Law Against Discrimination protects students and educators from biased-based harassment and discrimination.

Audience: Primary Educators

Click on a date to register

April 2, 2024 9:30am-11:30am
September 19, 2024 9:30am-11:30am
Audience: Secondary Educators

Click on a date to register

November 5, 2024 9:30am-11:30am
Understanding the Needs of LGBTQIA+ Youth

New Jersey has been at the forefront of fostering equality for its LGBTQIA+ young people, including strong protections in the NJ Law Against Discrimination, incorporation of LGBTQIA+ content in school curricula, and the extension of rights for transgender people. Yet LGBTQIA+ youth remain at disproportionate risk for bullying, harassment, homelessness, suicide, and involvement in the foster care and law enforcement systems. This interactive training will introduce participants to the varied identities and experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth, explore the types of bias and discrimination they face, and offer strategies for protecting their rights in various settings.

Click on a date to register

April 30, 2024 9:30am-11:30am

Code of Conduct

Participants may be removed from virtual trainings or events, or asked to leave in-person trainings or events, if they engage in threatening, intimidating or harassing conduct toward anyone in attendance;  engage in irrelevant or overly long verbal or written remarks that detract from purposes of the training or interfere with the operation of the training; or if they threaten, intimidate or harass any DCR employee, whether it be during the training or any time in between trainings.

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