Press Release – MARCH 11, 2022
YWCA Columbus to Join YWCAs Across Nation for the Stand Against Racism Challenge
YWCA Columbus will be joining YWCAs across the nation for the Stand Against Racism Challenge on April 4, 2022. Previously known as the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge, the Stand Against Racism Challenge is a national movement to engage communities in anti-racist work.
Participants receive a daily email directing them to three to four 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 and challenge participants to confront their own understandings and to take action towards the advancement of racial equity. The Challenge activities will dive into Critical Race Theory, Living Wage, Film and Television, and Reproductive Justice.
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 Monday, April 4, and continue (Monday –Friday) through Monday, May 2. All content is curated by YWCA USA this year.
Since the challenge first began in 2019, over 30,000 participants from 48 states have taken the challenge and it has proven to be a powerful tool for companies, municipalities, non-profits, and religious institutions to begin to implement real equitable change.
YWCA Columbus 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. Columbus participants are also invited into a local conversation around the weekly Challenge topics in a Facebook Group led by the Leadership & Social Justice Team.
Registration for the Challenge and information about the Facebook Group can be found here: https://bit.ly/3vVC2wB.
YWCA Columbus wants to thank and acknowledge Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., Debby Irving, and Dr. Marguerite Penick for their leadership in the field of racial equity as exhibited in their 21 Day Racial Equity and Habit Building Challenge and the movement they helped to initiate. YWCA’s content is independently designed, written, and curated by YWCA staff as part of racial equity and social justice programs offered to the community. 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.
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About YWCA Columbus
YWCA Columbus is dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women. YWCA Columbus defies the status quo that puts women, people of color, and the marginalized on unequal footing. By fostering dialogue, providing practical resources, and education, we promote empowerment and inclusion. YWCA Columbus initiates systematic social change that will create a Columbus of peace, justice freedom, and dignity for all.