About the Challenge

Thank you for participating in the 21 Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge! This is a significant action every individual can take to make a difference for our campus and community. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the widespread disparities experienced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities, including ongoing systemic violence in the forms of racism and settler-colonialism. As these issues affect our students and our communities, it is vital that we all stand in solidarity with those who are directly affected by inequities and fight for justice.  
 
We think the Challenge is one of the most powerful interventions an organization can do to build community and create an inclusive culture. While we modeled this program on those done in other areas, this one is unique to our campus and community, highlighting local issues to help us all better understand how we can take meaningful action.  
 
Our theme for the 2022 challenge is, “Centering the Voices on the Margins.” This challenge will serve as an opportunity to reflect and engage in dialogues about the systemic racism that exists towards Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. The activities will help us explore how racial injustice and social injustice impact our communities, to connect with one another, and to identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination.  
 
The Challenge can lead to transformative results, including:

  • Building new, positive habits that can change ourselves, our teams, our organizations, and our communities.  
  • Taking small actions alongside one another to create momentum and a sense of teamwork. 
  • Creating a profound, elevating experience to increase the likelihood that participants will continue to actively work for racial equity and social justice. 
  • Developing skills to create a positive sense of inclusion and belonging within our communities and beyond.  

We look forward to you joining us in this commitment towards racial equity and social justice. Systemic change starts with each of us individually, and together we learn and grow.  
 
Although this is primarily a racial equity Challenge, we know that systems of oppression are linked, and there are many other forms of prejudice and discrimination that affect our communities. These include, but are not limited to, discrimination against people of color, Indigenous peoples, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, working class and low-income communities, as well as people from different religious groups. 

All of these are detrimental to our communities and have profound impacts on communities of color. In the Challenge, you will see many of these issues addressed, in addition to the core focus on racism and racial equity.  
 
Disclaimer: Cuesta College and partners are not responsible for content created by outside parties including external links and PDFs. The organizers have made as much effort as possible to provide accessible links and resources. All advertisements related to any video, website, or article are not endorsed by the organizers.  
 
Acknowledgments: We want to thank YWCA of Greater Cleveland and Dayton for their materials and resources as well as Dr. Eddie Moore and Debby Irving who first started the 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge, as well as the Cuesta College 21 Day Challenge Committee who made this year’s event possible.