YWCA set to launch anti-racist challenge

VW independent/submitted information

The YWCA of Van Wert County will be launching a 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge on Thursday, April 1, as part of a national movement to engage communities in anti-racist work. 

Participants receive a daily email directing them to 3-4 curated activities, such as 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, as well as 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 challenge will begin on April 1 and continues through Wednesday, April 21. All content is newly curated by the YWCA for 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 it has proven a powerful tool for companies, municipalities, non-profits, and religious institutions to begin implementing real equitable change.

The YWCA of Van Wert County is proud to participate in the event this year and to encourages its community to examine how structural racism and bias impact each person’s life.

To register for the challenge, email khoug@ywcavanwertcounty.org no later than Monday, March 22.

The YWCA’s challenge was inspired by Food Solutions New England, which was the first to adapt an exercise from Dr. Eddie Moore Jr. and Debby Irving’s book into the interactive 21-Day Racial Equity 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.