The Social Justice & Equity Challenge series, powered by United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Westchester County Center for Racial Equity, and YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester, is a 21-day journey of self-discovery designed to help individuals build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. This year’s challenge will start June 17 and run through July 19. Content will be sent out each day, Monday through Friday. No new content will be shared on Juneteenth (June 19) and Independence Day (July 4), but you will have the opportunity to catch up on any content you may have missed.
For each day of the challenge, there are activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, or watching a video–and you are then encouraged to reflect on that content and to relate the situation to your own life. Participants will discover how inequity and social injustice impact our community. The goal is to build new understandings and new connections and in so doing, to begin dismantling systemic racism in Westchester and Putnam counties.
Participants are not expected to engage will all the content supplied each day. We offer you a variety of materials, so you can choose the best option to fit your lifestyle. Additionally, the content is archived and can be revisited if you miss a day.
We hope that you will go into this challenge with an open heart and an open mind, ready to be pushed out of your comfort zone. We know these discussions can be difficult and can bring up powerful emotions, but your commitment to increasing your awareness is what will help move our community forward.
To engage with other people doing the challenge, use the hashtag #WestchesterEquityChallenge to share your reflections on social media. You can also join our Facebook group where participants can continue the conversation in a safe space.
This is an exciting opportunity to dive deep into racial equity and social justice.
We want to acknowledge the history of the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge which was developed by Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., Dr. Marguerite Penick-Parks, and Debby Irving and was adapted by Food Solutions New England. From there, it was made available to other organizations.