United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region will present a 21-Day Equity Challenge that will launch on January 18, The Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) National Day of Service. The 21-Day Equity Challenge is a powerful opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how inequity and racism affect our lives and in our community. There is no charge to participate, but preregistration is requested. Every day during the Challenge, participants will receive an email with the day’s challenge. To register, go to www.uwdor.org/21dayequitychallenge.
United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region is partnering with the Presidential Inaugural Committee for this year’s MLK National Day of Service on January 18, one of only two federal holidays that encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.
The 21-Day Equity Challenge, designed to raise awareness of issues of race, power, privilege and leadership in Dutchess and Orange counties, was spearheaded by Yadira Sims, Financial Empowerment VISTA and United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region’s DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Committee.
“This Challenge is an opportunity for all of us to learn and grow together while building a habit of gaining a deeper understanding of racial equity,” explained Yadira Sims. “When change starts within enough of us, together, we can make progress toward becoming an equitable community - for all. This is more important today than ever before and we are pleased to be able to offer this Challenge as a resource for our community. We’ve designed the Challenge to include topics that are localized to specific concerns in our immediate communities in Dutchess and Orange Counties.”
Through taking the challenge, participants will commit to deepening their understanding and willingness to confront racism, bias and other social inequities in our communities. Community members are encouraged to sign up by January 15. There is no charge to participate in the Challenge. Some of the daily topics include: Maternal and Infant Mortality, Racism Hurts Everybody, Representation Matters, The Intergenerational Trauma of Racism, Wealth and Income, Understanding Privilege.
Each of the daily challenges will include links to articles, videos and podcasts on the topic of the day. Participants can choose the medium they prefer or delve more deeply into the topic by accessing each of the materials. The time committed may range from a few minutes to read the article or up to an hour with some of the podcasts.
The challenge will run 21 consecutive days from January 18 – February 7. If a day is missed, it’s easy to catch up as all the shared links will remain live.
Employers, community groups and educational institutions are invited to join the challenge and share the registration link with their community.
The 21-Day Equity Challenge is sponsored by Corporation for National and Community Service and in partnership with AmerisourceBergen Foundation.
For more information and to register, go to www.uwdor.org/21dayequitychallenge.
