MLK Equity Challenge by https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7 Equity and reflection en route to creating a better community (based upon the original 21-day Racial Equity Bootcamp created by Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr) “It’s simple: For 21 days, you do an action to further your connection to power, privilege, and leadership.” –Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. and Debby Irving en-us 2021-01-13 15:36:09 UTC 2023-09-16 14:37:03 UTC hello@padlet.com Equity Challenge Guidelines mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083500696 For 21 days, challenge yourself to read, watch, and learn from each day's tasks further your understanding of power, privilege, oppression, and equity.

Use the tracking chart provided to stay on course. Attend all scheduled zoom calls (Sundays at 9am beginning on January 24) for more activities and debrief opportunities. Zoom link will be emailed separately.

This plan includes suggestions for readings, podcasts, videos, observations, and ways to form and deepen community connections. Understanding white privilege is a powerful lens into the complexities of doing social justice work, so we’ve focused our resources on that specific issue. Make a commitment to continue the conversation.

Got questions? Email Rev. Gina or Laura Cooper.]]> 2021-01-13 15:38:48 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083500696 Day 1: King and The White Moderate mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083507270
In April 1963, King was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, after he defied a state court’s injunction and led a march of black protesters without a permit, urging an Easter boycott of white-owned stores. A statement published in The Birmingham News, written by eight moderate white clergymen, criticized the march and other demonstrations.

This prompted King to write a lengthy response, begun in the margins of the newspaper. He smuggled it out with the help of his lawyer, and the nearly 7,000 words were transcribed. The eloquent call for “constructive, nonviolent tension” to force an end to unjust laws became a landmark document of the civil-rights movement. The letter was printed in part or in full by several publications, including the New York Post, Liberation magazine, The New Leader, and The Christian Century.

Reflection: How do Dr. King's words ring true today?

]]> 2021-01-13 15:40:05 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083507270 Day 2: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083528126
True power lies in storytelling. The story we know of Brown vs. Board of Education is often that the poor Black children, subject to inferior schools, were finally allowed to integrate and gain access to white schools.

Who are the stars of that story, and who has been left out? ]]> 2021-01-13 15:44:18 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083528126 Day 4: Silence and Sedition mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083549435
"But here is the theological question: Will Trump’s sedition and attempted coup be met with silence from faith leaders, especially white Christian leaders whose constituencies voted in their majority for Trump?"

Reflection: How does this impact me personally? What is at stake for me, for the country?]]> 2021-01-13 15:48:36 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083549435 Day 3: Hidden in Plain Sight mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083577753
There's a joke that goes something like this: "An older fish remarks to two baby goldfish, 'How do you like the water?' One turns to the other and says, 'What's water?'"

Racism and oppression are open wounds not everyone in this country wishes to address, yet there are reminders of it everywhere. Waking up to the racism that lies right underneath our noses is like fish recognizing the water; it has been here the whole time, we have been steeped in it, and we have become a part of it. What do we do with that knowledge?]]> 2021-01-13 15:54:06 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083577753 Day 5: Racism is Taught in the Stories we Learn mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083607772
The power is in the stories. Who gets to tell them, and what those stories reveal -- at the root of all of these decisions is where the power lives.

This article talks about what who decides what we learn, and how we learn it, and what constitutes a "true American" according to the history books.


]]> 2021-01-13 16:00:07 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1083607772 Bonus Lesson: The Other America mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1084199637
To close out the week after Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, consider his speech "The Other America." Which America do you live in, and what can you do to bring these two worlds closer together?

"Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability, it comes
through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers
with God and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation.
And so we must always help time and realize that the time is always right to do right. "]]> 2021-01-13 17:50:42 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1084199637 Day 6: Affinity Bias mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114239433
Grab a piece of paper and something to write with. Watch the video, and complete the exercise. 

If yes, that's not unusual. We like being around people who make us comfortable. But how often do we engage with others who are different, and who, perhaps, make us uncomfortable?

We are influenced most by the people who are most like us. This is affinity bias: we gravitate to others who are similar to us in beliefs, attitudes, and yes, even unconsciously, skin color. How might this show up in our everyday lives? How can we break this pattern?]]> 2021-01-22 14:40:58 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114239433 Day 7: Colorblindness is Counterproductive mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114262759 "It is no longer socially acceptable in many quarters to identify oneself as racist. Instead, many Americans purport not to see color. However, their colorblindness comes at a cost. By claiming that they do not see race, they also can avert their eyes from the ways in which well-meaning people engage in practices that reproduce neighborhood and school segregation, rely on “soft skills” in ways that disadvantage racial minorities in the job market, and hoard opportunities in ways that reserve access to better jobs for white peers."

Read the Atlantic article linked below. What windows and mirrors do you see?]]> 2021-01-22 14:45:43 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114262759 Day 8: Get Uncomfortable mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114271619
To break your affinity bias, you need to stretch yourself outside your comfort zone. Welcome discomfort, as it is where learning occurs. Today, check out Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. Emmanual Acho speaks some uncomfortable truths that perhaps you didn't know you didn't know.]]> 2021-01-22 14:47:38 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114271619 Bonus Lesson: Performative Allyship. What is it, and how do I not do it? mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114281020
Dr. Bettina Love, professor and DEI practitioner extraordinaire, lays down some truths about how white people think they are being strong allies, when in reality, they might just be performing. How can you make sure you're doing more than performance?]]> 2021-01-22 14:49:34 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114281020 Day 10: America: This isn't who we are ... or is it? mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114290217
No doubt you've heard that phrase many times since Jan. 6. "This isn't who we are, America." But, what if it is, and always has been who we are? What then?

Check out these articles from NPR and The Atlantic to discuss our perceptions of today's America: what it is, what it isn't, and to whom.]]> 2021-01-22 14:51:35 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114290217 Day 9: Faith, Race, and Reconciliation mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114297805 In this episode, Jen is joined by fellow podcaster, Will Smith of Let's Talk. Will is a Youth Pastor who holds a degree in Pastoral Care and Counseling, and in this episode, he talks about growing up in the church, his frustration with the racial reconciliation movement, and how people can better approach race, faith, and unity.]]> 2021-01-22 14:53:07 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114297805 Moving on to Week 2 mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114303250 Reflect in your journals: What did I already know? What did I not know? What are some ideas I have about what I just learned?]]> 2021-01-22 14:54:12 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1114303250 Day 11: How Whiteness Got Made mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596116
“When the first Africans arrived in Virginia in 1619, there were no ‘white’ people there; nor, according to the colonial records, would there be for another sixty years.” — Theodore W. Allen

Whiteness is a social construct; when and how did it become so powerful? Reflect in your journal areas of your life in which whiteness is the default, and where this may reveal privilege where others lack it.

"The invented category of white people is still the largest case of this colonial strategy in the world. Whiteness was not always invented in opposition to chattel slavery, even in America. As the newly invented whites pushed West, they were reinvented in opposition to the existence of other people inconveniently on the land the newcomers believed God had ordained to them as their destiny. "]]> 2021-01-30 14:33:36 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596116 Day 12: Why White People Need to Organize mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596236
For many, it sounds contradictory: “Isn’t it racist if just white people to get together? Isn’t that segregation?” The following are our reasons for organizing as a white anti-racist community:

People of color shouldn’t always have to be the ones to educate white people about racism and oppression. We are taking responsibility for learning about racism, our own white privilege, and how to challenge it as white people.

--AWARE-LA
]]> 2021-01-30 14:33:40 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596236 Day 13: Repair and Reconciliation mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596385 "If reconciliation is God's work, what is ours? Surely gratitude and praise and worship of the God who makes a way to reestablish a relationship with us. But what does this grace make possible, not only between God and us, but between one another?" 

These articles explore the ways in which reparations have been identified as a solution, and the arguments in support of and against this form of reconciliation. Reflect on your own stance; if this article brings up strong feelings, ask yourself what is at the root of those feelings? What are they telling you?]]> 2021-01-30 14:33:43 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596385 Day 14: The Racial Dance mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596459
"We can try to cut down the bush as many times as we want, but if we don't address the root, the problems will continue to impact us." --Rodney Sadler

No matter how anti-racist your own behaviors and attitudes, there are still systems of oppression in play all around us. 

What role does the church play in dismantling systems of oppression? In reconciliation and reparation?]]> 2021-01-30 14:33:47 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596459 Day 15: A Conversation About Faith and Justice mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596519
In this video, Dr. Khyati Joshi, author of White Christian Privilege, talks with Senator Cory Booker about understanding the American myth of religious freedom, the role Christianity has played in white supremacy, and the ways in which we can move toward justice.]]> 2021-01-30 14:33:50 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596519 Bonus Lesson: Why Racism Still Makes Sense to White People mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596573 How did white people justify racism for so long in this country? In this podcast, Heather McGhee, the co-chair of Color of Change, the country’s largest online racial justice organization, talks with Rev. Jim Wallis about the legacy of racism in the United States and the lies that allow America’s original sin to be perpetuated to this day.

"There were reasons that good, upstanding, moral white people gave themselves and their children for why segregation made sense,” continues McGhee. “It was about crime. It was about poverty. It was about God's will. It was about the natural order of things. And when you focus on what the possible justifications could have been, as opposed to just saying, ‘old people in the past were evil,’ then you might start to recognize some of those same justifications for the status quo today.”

What are some stories you were told that justified the status quo?]]> 2021-01-30 14:33:53 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1143596573 Day 16: Equity vs. Equality mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171921733 What's the difference between equity and equality?
 
And how is this photo an example of white supremacy at work? Read the article to learn more.]]> 2021-02-06 19:13:41 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171921733 Day 17: The Model Minority Myth mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171921827 We've heard these American Dream myths before. Why don't Black and Brown people "pull themselves up by their bootstraps like we did?" "Look at the Asians, many of them are making it." The perpetration of a "model minority" perpetuates Anti-Blackness. The “model minority” narrative is often used to drive a wedge between Asian American and Black communities by promoting the myth that non-white Americans can succeed and overcome racism by striving for success. Read and listen to these pieces for a better understanding.]]> 2021-02-06 19:13:45 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171921827 Day 18: Silence is a Statement mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171921908 When it comes to activism, what we say online, or don’t say, is important. 

In this episode of the podcast "Do the Work," friends Marquia and Elodie converse about  the deafening tone of white silence in a digital world how to talk to our friends and family about it and what effective allyship really looks like. ]]> 2021-02-06 19:13:48 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171921908 Day 19: What's My Complicity? mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171922027 For well-intentioned white people doing anti-racist and social justice work, the first meaningful step is to recognize their fragility around racial issues—and build their emotional stamina. 'White Fragility' author Robin DiAngelo breaks it down in this article on Learning for Justice.

Consider the concept of white privilege. How do you feel when you hear those words? Many folks have a tendency to feel defensive, guilt, or shame. Learn about becoming less defensive, and how to move beyond racial paralysis into action.]]> 2021-02-06 19:13:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171922027 Day 20: Ally or Accomplice? mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171922148 Which one are you?

In this article, learn what differentiates an ally from an accomplice in terms of anti-racist practices: allies will mostly engage in activism by standing with an individual or group in a marginalized community, while an accomplice will focus more on dismantling the structures that oppress that individual or group—and such work will be directed by the stakeholders in the marginalized group. Read more about white accomplices here.

In your journal, make note of which structures you have noticed in your neighborhoods, work, or schools which are driven by white supremacy. Will you be an ally or an activist?]]> 2021-02-06 19:13:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171922148 Day 21: Black Lives Matter mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171922221
Practice saying it: Black Lives Matter. 

We say this because in our country, we want our Black brothers and sisters to know that we value them, because they may not be getting that message everywhere.

Do Black Lives Matter to God? Spoiler alert: absolutely.

]]> 2021-02-06 19:13:58 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171922221 Bonus Lesson: Black History is Our History mrojalawlor https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171959781 Black History is American History. Push yourself to learn more about the history of our country by centering Black stories and filling in learning gaps.

Pick 5 videos (10 minutes total) from this collection and journal about them. What did you learn? What are some DKDKs? (something you didn't know you didn't know?)

How can you be an accomplice in dismantling oppressive structures?]]> 2021-02-06 19:39:40 UTC https://padlet.com/mrojalawlor/hku6lov000dh2dz7/wish/1171959781