Thank you for joining the Equity Challenge: COVID-19 Edition May 25 - 29
Thank you for your interest in this special edition of the challenge and we hope you will join us. United Way of Washtenaw County (UWWC), has a vision that by 2030 your zip code will no longer determine your opportunity in life. At present in Washtenaw County, it does.
With the Governor’s “stay home stay safe” in effect until the end of May, UWWC wanted to make the connection between the disproportionate impact of the virus on Black and Brown communities and the community conditions which enabled this to occur.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further revealed to us the inequities that are deeply rooted in our systems and institutions-- a look at local health department data illustrates this reality. Over 5 days, participants in the COVID-19 edition of the Equity Challenge will explore difficult topics like structural racism, segregation, and privilege to open up dialogue on how we can be champions of equity in our personal and professional lives.
The self-guided learning journey examines the history and impacts of racism and how it shapes people’s lived experience in Washtenaw County.
Our goal? You take the time to reflect and learn how racial inequities permeate our community on individual, institutional and systemic levels, and how we’re seeing these inequities unfold during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all impacted by the system of racism in our country and therefore all responsible for dismantling the structures that allow it to persist. The final day of the Challenge will offer tools and resources for taking action locally in Washtenaw County
We need you. We believe united action is powerful and it benefits us all to have greater collective capacity and courage to identify and address the different ways that bias, prejudice, privilege, and oppression show up in our work and lives. The Challenge will feature content that speaks to diverse identities and expressions and it has been prepared knowing that our audience is not homogenous. This is not a Challenge just for white people. It has something for all people.
This 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. United Way of Washtenaw County has committed to adapt the challenge with our community along with our Support Partners (listed below).
Click here to read a welcome letter from Pam Smith, UWWC CEO and Linda Koos, UWWC Board Chair.
About the Equity Challenge: COVID-19 Edition
- You (along with thousands of others in Washtenaw County) commit to deepening your understanding of and willingness to confront racism for 5 consecutive days beginning May 25th and ending on May 29th.
- During every morning of the Challenge, you'll receive an email "prompt" with readings, videos and/or podcasts. You are encouraged to take about ten to fifteen minutes each day with the material in the prompt.
- Explore this work on your own, with friends and family, or organization-wide. Download our discussion guide by clicking here.
- Capture your daily reflections and actions using our activity log. Click here to download the log. (PDF Version)
- Share your reflections and “a ha” moments using the hashtags #unitedforequity , #equitychampions, and #uwwcequitychallenge. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- Access the Five Day Challenge catalogue here.
- Don't want to stop after the 5th day? You don't have to! Click here to access the catalogue of all 21 days of our original 21 Day Equity Challenge.
- Sign-up for Advocacy Alerts here.