2020 Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge Content

WEEK 1: July 6-12

View the Full Email

Thank you for joining YWCA Utah for the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge! Today we begin a collective journey of furthering our education, creating dedicated time and space to learn about racial equity, and building more effective social justice habits. We’re glad you’re here with us.

This is the first time YWCA Utah has participated in the Challenge, and we are overwhelmed by the amazing community response. More than 2,400 individuals from across the country (and the world) have signed on to complete the Challenge with us! We know that folks are approaching this Challenge with varying levels of knowledge, experience, and understanding of these concepts and ideas, and our goal is to ensure that this Challenge is both accessible and informative, regardless of where you’re starting.

DAY 2: Implicit Bias

View the Full Email

For today’s challenge, we’re focusing in on implicit bias. Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. Implicit bias is pervasive across nearly all social interactions, and since individuals are often unaware they may have it, can be difficult to spot.

Becoming aware of one’s implicit biases is a lifelong process, but the following activities are great starting points. We carry preconceived judgments of those around us, but we can begin to deconstruct them once we are aware of them.

DAY 3: How to Be an Anti-Racist

VIEW THE FULL EMAIL

Today we take a look at what it means to be anti-racist and how we can take actionable steps to become anti-racist. Anti-racism is the active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structures, policies, practices, and attitudes.

The term “anti-racist” has attracted considerable attention recently, due in large part to Ibram X. Kendi’s book How to Be an Antiracist, which is currently sold out nearly everywhere. The following challenge activities are great for diving into this framework.

DAY 4: Levels of Racism

View the full email

Today we’re turning our focus to gaining a deeper understanding of the levels of racism. The work we’ve done so far on personal racial identity, implicit bias, and anti-racism has helped lay a foundation for two of the levels of racism: internalized and interpersonal.

You may already be familiar with the phrases “institutional racism” and “systemic racism.” These terms refer to the broader ways in which racism is perpetuated and upheld in our society. The following activities are great launching points to aid in digesting these concepts.

DAY 5: Privilege

View the Full Email

Today we are taking a look at the concept of privilege. Privilege exists when one group has something of value that is denied to others simply because of group membership and not based on what a person or group has done or failed to do. It is important to recognize that privilege is part of a reality that helps some while impeding others. The challenge activities for today will help us take a closer look at this concept.

DAY 6: Why Is It So Hard to Talk About Race?

View the Full Email

Today we’re taking a look at why it’s so hard for many people to talk about race. You may experience discomfort when the topics arise, and as a result, may avoid it altogether.

Having conversations about race is a critical part of racial justice and social equity work, and such conversations require individuals to make intentional efforts despite the discomfort they feel. Coming to terms with why you may be uncomfortable is an important step. Today’s Challenge activities offer a closer look.

DAY 7: Talking to Kids About Race & Racism

View the Full Email

We’ve covered why it’s so hard to talk about race as adults, but how do we talk to children about race and racism, particularly when media coverage is violent and frightening?

Engaging in conversations on race, racism, diversity, and inclusion with children is critical to building understanding from a young age. It’s also important to note that for many families with children of color, discussing racism with their children is inevitable rather than optional. The following activities provide guidance on how we can discuss these topics in manageable ways with children.

WEEK 2: July 13-19

DAY 8: Racism & Trauma

View the Full Email

Today we’re going to discuss the connections between racism and trauma. Racism-related experiences range from frequent, ambiguous microaggressions to blatant hate crimes and physical assault, and often have lasting impacts on an individual’s mental health.

Race-based stress and trauma extends beyond the direct behaviors of prejudiced individuals since institutional and system racism can also result in trauma. Today’s challenge activities help develop a deeper understanding of the impacts of racism.

DAY 9: Racism & The Women's Suffrage Movement

View the Full Email

The ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 was a transformative cultural and political moment that resulted in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history. Although 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of this pivotal milestone in the women’s movement, it is also a time to acknowledge that women of color who worked for suffrage were continually marginalized and their contributions were sidelined by history. Today, we will look back at these pioneering leaders and how they laid the groundwork for universal suffrage and the civil rights movement.

DAY 10: History of Voter Suppression

View the Full Email

Today, we are looking at the history of voter suppression and how people of color have been systemically kept from the ballot box, as well as the challenges people of color have had to overcome in order to exercise the right to vote. These activities will provide important context for tomorrow’s challenge, which will show how voter suppression has changed over time and how certain actions and policies continue to disenfranchise marginalized communities today.

DAY 11: Voter Suppression Today

View the Full Email

2020 is a significant election year in the United States, and it is important that we recognize the barriers to voting that many people still face and work to eliminate them. Today, we will learn how voter suppression continues to be an issue and how a 2013 Supreme Court decision created opportunities for law changes at the state level that disenfranchise marginalized groups.

DAY 12: The U.S. Census

View the Full Email

Every 10 years the federal government undertakes the important task of counting every person living in the United States. The U.S. Census impacts our lives in myriad ways, and an accurate count is very important for many reasons, from determining the number of seats in the House of Representatives to funding allocations for certain programs. Today we will take a look at the ongoing accuracy issues the U.S. Census faces, and why people of color are routinely undercounted.

You can see the areas of Utah where an undercounting in the 2020 Census is predicted and make a note of any observations you have. We also encourage you to complete the 2020 Census online if you haven’t already.

DAY 13: History of Racism & Bias in Healthcare

View the Full Email

Today we will explore the history of racism and bias in our healthcare systems. The history of the exploitation and brutalization of people of color by doctors and others in the medical field is one of America’s most tragic and largely untold stories. Knowing our past is one of the first steps towards building a more equitable future.

We want to acknowledge how difficult this topic, as well as many of the topics we have already covered, can be to learn about, revisit, and/or experience. Please be mindful of your mental health, practice self-care, reach out to others should you need help, and be open to the experiences of others as you grapple with these issues.

DAY 14: Racism & Health Disparities Today

View the Full Email

Today we’re focusing in on how racism impacts healthcare today with distressing and often tragic consequences, ranging from differences in treatment to a high mortality rate in Black infants. Additionally, the current COVID-19 pandemic has brought systemic inequities to the forefront of many conversations around healthcare, as the racial disparities in diagnosed COVID-19 cases have been well documented.

WEEK 3: July 20-26

DAY 15: Racism & Housing

View the Full Email

Today we’ll be covering racism and housing in the United States. Housing disparities span generations and are the result of segregation, redlining, discriminatory financial lending, etc. These tactics have had a lasting impact on BIPOC’s ability to build wealth through owning their homes. For some insight into how redlining has impacted the current housing market in Utah, you can check out this interactive map. Our challenge activities take a closer look at this issue from both a historical and current perspective.

DAY 16: The Wealth Gap

View the Full Email

Yesterday’s housing focus set us up for today’s exploration of the racial wealth gap, which has been compounded over generations through policy, institutions, and individual actions and biases. The racial wealth disparity can be seen through income inequality, earnings gaps, homeownership rates, retirement savings, student loan debt, lopsided asset-building subsidies, etc. Our challenge activities today take a closer look.

DAY 17: Racism & Homelessness

View the Full Email

Today we’re focusing on racism and homelessness. A disproportionate amount of BIPOC make up the homeless population in the United States, and our previous topics have offered insight into the barriers that exist for BIPOC in gaining and maintaining housing. Today’s challenge activities explore homelessness through the lens of race, both nationally and locally.

DAY 18: How We Experience Police

View the Full Email

Today’s Challenge content focuses on exploring how law enforcement, in particular the police, are experienced by many BIPOC. This topic has taken center stage in the United States in recent months, as the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have sparked nationwide protests and calls for police reform; but the experience of law enforcement by BIPOC, particularly Black individuals, have deep roots in the history of police and biased policy as well as cultural narratives.

DAY 19: Alternatives to Policing

View the Full Email

Today’s Challenge content explores alternatives to policing. The recent, widespread protests in U.S. cities have renewed and strengthened discussions about the role of law enforcement in our society, with the phrase “Defund the Police” becoming both a rallying cry and a threat to be opposed. Building upon yesterday’s Challenge activities, which made a case for changing the way law enforcement looks in the U.S., today we will consider what those changes might look like.

DAY 20: Building a Race Equity Culture

View the Full Email

For the final two days of the Challenge, we are going to explore ways to build an equitable and inclusive culture. Racial equity and social justice will not just happen — we must take meaningful, intentional steps to build a culture that is inclusive, diverse, and equitable for all people. Today’s activities offer details and ideas about what this work may look like.

DAY 21: Inclusion Building

View the Full Email

The final day of the 21-Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge is focused on inclusion building. Creating a society which anti-racist and inclusive is a continuous process, but we believe it is possible. The work we have done during this Challenge — working to understand the history of racism, exploring what it looks like in today’s society, and how individuals may be complicit in perpetuating injustice — is a great foundation. Today’s activities remind us of why this is critically important work and present ideas about what this work may look like for our youth going forward.