“I’ve joined our anti-racism team at work.”

“I’ll be more vocal when I encounter racism in everyday life.”

“I commit to being more aware of my biases and actively working to change them.”

“Listening, listening, listening. Being more aware of my privilege and using it to speak up and speak out.”

“I am committed to sharing the information I learned with the youth I work with.”

“I am committed to supporting systemic change within our organization. Awareness is the first step, but from there we must do things differently as we identify places where inequities exist.”

These are just a few among dozens of commitments made by community members after they completed the United Way 21-Day Equity Challenge, a racial equity learning journey that wrapped up in November.

More than 700 people across Battle Creek and Kalamazoo committed to deepening their understanding of systemic racism for 21 days. A daily email delivered videos, podcasts, articles and interactive materials that examined the historical and current impacts of racist beliefs, actions, and policies and how these shape people’s lived experiences. We challenged participants to spend at least 10-15 minutes each day learning and reflecting.

“It was all extremely powerful,” shared one participant.

Topics ranged from bias, privilege and socialization to environmental racism, housing inequities and the racial wealth gap. Participants explored those topics on their own each day, or in many cases with coworkers, friends or family members. More than 100 people came together for two community conversations facilitated by UWBCKR staff over the course of the challenge. These conversations created space for participants to reflect on the content shared in the challenge, and an opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen our individual, workplace, and community supports to address racism at all levels – internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic.

“I just want to take the sense of community from this conversation. It was good to feel like we are all coming together and working towards similar goals,” said one community conversation participant.

Several organizations, including KRESA, Battle Creek Public Schools and W.E. Upjohn Institute, had more than 30 employees take part in the challenge. Others, like Warner, Norcross + Judd, held weekly discussions about their learnings.

“Every day brought new awareness and new resources to the surface,” said Nicole Kalmbach, a Challenge participant who works for KRESA. “I found myself thinking about concepts I had read about or listened to throughout the days. I now wonder about how I will bring critical conversations to the table with other people in my life that do not have the same awareness.”

For United Way BCKR, which saw full participation in the Challenge from our own staff, sharing this experience with the community was one more important step in our own journey toward becoming an anti-racist organization. For more than five years, we have been accelerating our commitment to becoming a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization, knowing that these principals are critical to deepening our impact in our communities. A case study completed recently by United Way Worldwide details our recent work and the ways in which United Way BCKR is committed to racial equity.

We also recognize that we have far to go and much to learn.

“No individual or organization can take this path alone; rather it must happen in coalition with others who are committed to anti-racist action for mutual support and accountability,” said UWBCKR’s Claire Michael.

A recent audit of our EDI efforts and a subsequent workplan by Cross Movement Social Justice Consulting, an Equity Culture Survey, and trainings by The Truth & Titus Collective are all helping define our path forward.

“One thing that emerged from the feedback shared by Equity Challenge participants was a clear message: Don’t stop,” Michael said. “So we won’t. We will continue to provide ways for our community to join us in our journey, and amplify opportunities offered by the many organizations in our region committed to racial equity and social justice.”

If you missed the 21-Day Equity Challenge this fall, there are still several ways to participate. The material is available for download anytime at www.changethestory.org/leading-with-equity, or you can join us and sign up to receive daily emails for 21 days as we repeat the Challenge together beginning Feb. 1, 2021. Registration will be available soon at the website above. Follow us on Facebook for updates.

Note: The 21-Day Equity Challenge was originally developed by Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., Dr. Marguerite Penick-Parks and Debby Irving and has been adapted by Food Solutions New England. The Michigan Association of United Ways has further adapted the content with the support of leaders across our Michigan United Way network.