YWCA of Northwest Ohio to Launch 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge

By Alexii Collins

RACIAL JUSTICE DIRECTOR/ YWCA OF NORTHWEST OHIO

FEB. 7, 2021 — The YWCA of Northwest Ohio will launch its 21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge on March 1 as part of a national movement to engage communities in anti-racist work. 

Participants receive a daily email directing them to three to four curated activities: reading an article, listening to a podcast, watching a video, or reflecting on their own personal experiences. Each activity is designed to foster greater understanding and awareness and challenge participants to confront their own understandings and to take action towards the advancement of racial equity.

Taking part in an activity like this helps participants discover how racial inequity and social injustice impact our community, connect with others, and identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination. The 21 Day Challenge will begin Monday, March 1, and continue (Monday – Friday) through March 29. All content is newly curated by YWCA this year to include fresh and up-to-date content for participants.

Over 30,000 people from 1,800 zip codes across the country took the challenge in 2020 and has proven a powerful tool for companies, municipalities, non-profits, and religious institutions to begin to implement real equitable change. YWCA of Northwest Ohio is proud to participate in the event this year and to encourage our community to examine how structural racism and bias impact each of our lives.

Registration for the challenge is open now at https://forms.gle/Vd7s3wkUKtz4QfqU9 or through the YWCA website at https://www.ywcanwo.org/.

YWCA’s 21 Day Challenge was inspired by Food Solutions New England. They were the first to adapt an exercise from Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. and Debby Irving’s book into the interactive 21 Day Challenge. The challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits and bring awareness to issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership.

Companies and organizations that complete the 21 Day Challenge will be recognized and have their logos on the YWCA of Northwest Ohio’s website. 

We encourage you to accept the challenge and join us on this journey.

Alexii Collins can be contacted at Acollins@ywcanwo.org.