We are partnering with Dicken Elementary to co-sponsor a Racial Equity Challenge this month for parents/caregivers, teachers, and other staff.
This Challenge will raise your awareness, change your understanding and shift the way you behave.
The Challenge goes beyond individual or interpersonal racism by helping to demystify structural and institutional racism and white supremacist patterns that are sometimes invisible to people.
Finally, the Challenge inspires us to act, on our own or with others in our school, community, organizations, businesses or groups, to dismantle these systems.
Participation Expectations
Participants can plan to spend about 15-30 minutes a day spread over one week to read, watch, and reflect on the materials (see sample challenge below). You may take notes or journal about what you learn or experience.
Participants must be willing and able to attend a virtual community discussion of the materials on Tuesday, April 27 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.
Please Register by Monday, 04/19
For the Challenge to be successful, we need broad participation from Lawton caregivers/parents, teachers, and other school staff. Please use this form to sign-up to participate in the Racial Equity Challenge and the important community discussion on Tuesday, April 27 from 6-8 PM, facilitated by Yodit Mesfin Johnson, President & CEO of NEW (https://www.new.org/).
Racial Equity Challenge Example
Challenge #1 - Grounding in Shared Understanding
“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” ― Angela Davis.
As we each strive for deeper understanding of one another and the conditions that keep some folks free, and others oppressed, it is important that we root ourselves in shared meaning and language. Achieving race equity — the condition where one’s racial identity has no influence on how one fares in society — is a fundamental element of social change across every issue area in the social sector. Yet the structural racism that endures in U.S. society, deeply rooted in our nation’s history and perpetuated through racist policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural messages, prevents us from attaining it. Take a moment to consider how oppression works and to familiarize yourself with the meaning behind many words you might be hearing, but don’t have a clear understanding of.
Option 1: Listen to this 3 minute video on the 4 “I’s” of Oppression.
Option 2: Scan this Glossary and identify four words/phrases that are new to you.
Option 3: Read through this Summary on building a Race Equity Organizational Culture.
Option 4 - Watch this 4 minute video on Systemic Racism.