Based on the work of Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge serves to help communities develop “effective social justice habits.” Think of it as a New Year’s resolution for social justice work. By taking the time to engage every day, we are in a better position to understand and combat privilege, oppression, power, supremacy, and inequity. We have chosen February for the Challenge as its alignment with Black History Month makes it a perfect time to develop skills that will help us combat injustice and inequity in our communities and institutions the rest of the year.
This Challenge is a mostly self-guided schedule with some opportunities to meet, discuss, and reflect together. Each day, you will find materials to read, listen, watch, act, connect, and reflect. While you will find a variety of options, you do not need to engage with all of them to participate in the Challenge. View what you’d like. Bookmark other media for later review.
For the next 21 weekdays, we will offer ways to explore and develop deeper understanding and opportunities to take action. The weekends will not have assigned readings or discussion topics, but don’t think of them as “days off”. Instead, use these days for self-care and reflection.
This isn’t homework or a formal assignment and there are no grades. The point of this program is to develop habits that enhance self-reflection, broaden your cultural perspective, find areas for deeper learning and understanding, and develop a toolbox for combatting racism and White supremacy.
The program, while set, is not in stone. If you have suggestions for additional materials or programming, please email Lizz Elvira to add media and events to the schedule.
Select a Day
What is a Racial Equity Challenge and why are we doing it? Engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion work is not an effort for one event, one day, or one month. Instead, social justice must be an ongoing process. Racial inequity shapes and damages all aspects of our society and, therefore, is an issue for all of us to tackle. So let’s start with some basics.
How do your intersectional identities add up to form you? How do those experiences factor in to your experience? Come to the Multicultural Center (Fort Awesome 0111) at noon to pick up complete your Power Flower.
What have you learned?
Were there any new ideas or insights you explored? What connections did you make from week to week?
What emotions came up for you while working through this week’s challenge? What experiences do you think shape this reaction?
Has the Challenge taken you outside of your comfort zone? What are benefits of being outside of your comfort zone?
Have you learned how to notice the internal effect of racism and inequity and/or internal bias? What information or resources do you need to understand the issue more thoroughly and work to address them?
Names are important. Read this article about Why getting a name right matters. How does mispronouncing someone’s name minimize their worth? How do BIPOC alter or simplify their names to make it easier for others? How does this process detract from their identity development and expression? Can you identify examples of this in your life?
Share the link to the implicit association tests with family and friends. If you are feeling up to it, share your results with them as well. What do your test results tell you? What can you do to combat your implicit biases?
Share the white privilege test with those who could use the education on how privilege benefits them. Using what you have learned about white privilege, counter incorrect claims on social media or in conversations with friends and colleagues.
What microaggressions have you experienced? Come by the Multicultural Center (Fort Awesome 0111) to complete a Microaggressions sign and take a picture for social media. Can’t make it to the MCC? Print out the sign, take a picture, and share it on social media with the hashtag #Purchase21days.
Why do we get defensive when we are called out (or called in) for causing harm? What can we do instead of getting defensive?
Do you see examples of white defensiveness in your life or on your social media? Are there ways you can combat them using what you’ve learned?
What have you learned? Were there any new ideas or insights you explored? What connections did you make from week to week? What emotions came up for you while working through this week’s challenge? What experiences do you think shape this reaction? Has the Challenge taken you outside of your comfort zone? What are benefits of being outside of your comfort zone? Have you learned how to notice the internal effect of racism and inequity and/or internal bias? What information or resources do you need to understand the issue more thoroughly and work to address them?
Is empathy enough to combat racism? Can empathy end up centering the wrong person?
Are there scenarios in your life in which you were not an active bystander and wish you were? How would you handle it differently? Are there current opportunities to be an active bystander?
What have you learned? Were there any new ideas or insights you explored? What connections did you make from week to week? What emotions came up for you while working through this week’s challenge? What experiences do you think shape this reaction? Has the Challenge taken you outside of your comfort zone? What are benefits of being outside of your comfort zone? Have you learned how to notice the internal effect of racism and inequity and/or internal bias? What information or resources do you need to understand the issue more thoroughly and work to address them?
4:00pm - Come to the Multicultural Center (Fort Awesome 0111) to watch the 2018 film Sorry to Bother You.
Connect
Have you seen examples of people you know code switching in different scenarios? Ask them about it. Have you ever had to code switch? Share it with others in your community.
Read Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Faculty of Color by Melanie Curry. Look at your institution. Do you feel that the faculty and staff are diverse and represent the student body? How can your institution help increase the numbers of faculty and staff of color? What role can you take in this pursuit?
Get involved with organizations like We Act, a non-profit community-based EJ organization dedicated to building community power to fight environmental racism and improve environmental health, protection and policy in communities of color.
Are there anti-racism groups or committees on your campus? See how you can become a part of their efforts.
What have you learned? Were there any new ideas or insights you explored? What connections did you make from week to week? What emotions came up for you while working through this week’s challenge? What experiences do you think shape this reaction? Has the Challenge taken you outside of your comfort zone? What are benefits of being outside of your comfort zone? Have you learned how to notice the internal effect of racism and inequity and/or internal bias? What information or resources do you need to understand the issue more thoroughly and work to address them?
How can your institution shift how it sees students to define, teach, and lead by focusing on the strengths rather than weaknesses? Can you asset frame yourself and your experience to allow for personal growth?
In a 1994 article in the Educational Researcher, Amado Padilla wrote about cultural taxation, which he defined as the additional labor placed on BIPOC employees because of their race, ethnicity, or other cultural difference. This concept suggests that people of color are less likely to receive compensation for this work and are more likely to suffer burn out and attrition.
Where does cultural taxation exist in your institution? If you’re not sure, ask colleagues or mentors of color. Are there ways that you can combat this practice?
And just like that, you’ve reached the end of 21 days. You’ve hopefully watched some good videos, listened to some excellent podcasts, read powerful words, and developed a new reading and listening list. What have you learned? How have you grown? What made you uncomfortable and how did you respond to that discomfort?
This Challenge was an excellent start in exploring social justice work, but it was just a start. So what comes next? How do you use these tools to improve the lives of those in your local and global communities?
Let’s take some time to debrief. Here are some options for closing reflections.
Meet at 12:10pm at the Multicultural Center (Fort Awesome 0111) to debrief the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge.
Sample Reflection Tracker
Dr. Moore recommends utilizing a chart to track participation and record reflections. You can build one of your own or feel free to download and use this form for your observations.