YWCA Racial Justice Challenge
We are excited to announce that the YWCA Racial Justice Challenge will return for its 3rd year on April 17th – May 15th, 2023. The YWCA Racial Justice Challenge is a virtual learning tool designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. New content is released on weekdays and participants log on to the challenge app on their phone or visit the website and are presented with 21 days of activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, or reflecting on personal experience.
2023 Topics
New content is published daily (except for weekends) for the duration of the challenge. Each week we cover a different topic relating to equity and social justice. Below is an overview of what we will cover in 2023.
WEEK 1 – DISABILITY
During disability week we will cover the history of Eugenics, the Disability Rights Movement, the intersection of race, gender, and disability, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WEEK 2 – HOUSING
Learn how redlining continues to impact communities, who can access housing, and how racism, homophobia, and transphobia have become a driver of homelessness and its criminalization.
WEEK 3 – MUSIC
In partnership with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we will talk about the legacy of musician activists, racism in the music industry, cultural appropriation, how music pushes against gender stereotypes, and access to music education.
WEEK 4 – MENTAL HEALTH
Dive into how psychology has been used as a tool of marginalization, access to mental healthcare, and discrimination’s impact on mental health outcomes.
See content from 2022 and 2021
Critical Race Theory
YWCA is committed to antiracism and a key part of this mission is to ensure that children learn a truthful accounting of our country’s history of systemic racism and how that legacy continues to impact our lives today. This week will explore what Critical Race Theory is, the misconceptions surrounding it, and what participants can do to act.
- What is Critical Race Theory?
- Racism in School Curriculum
- Teaching the Next Generation
- Legislative Backlash to CRT
- Truth and Healing
Living Wage
Over a quarter of America’s workers make less than $15 per hour. Women of color are disproportionately likely to make less than a living wage. We are going to talk about how raising the minimum wage to a living wage could be a powerful tool for closing the racial and gender wealth gaps, the history of the sub-minimum wage, and why paying a living wage is key to an equitable workplace.
- What is Living Wage?
- Minimum Wage
- Racist History of Tipping
- Closing the Racial & Gender Wealth Gap
- Organizational Values
Film and Television
Film and television are powerful mediums and have been instrumental both in perpetuating racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia, as well as breaking ground and helping Americans envision a more equitable world.
- Racism & the Origins of Film
- LGBTQ+ Representation
- The War on Terror & Islamophobia on Screen
- Colorism
- Power of Representation
For more than fifty years, YWCA USA has supported the reproductive freedom of all people to make fundamental decisions about whether and when to have children. Abortion bans could push young women out of the workplace and limit their education and careers, with lifelong consequences for themselves and their families.
- Period Poverty
- Sex Education
- Legal Restrictions
- Impact
- Police Violence & Reproductive Justice
Honoring the Work
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh wants to thank and acknowledge Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., Debby Irving, and Dr. Marguerite Penick for their leadership in the field of racial equity as exhibited in their 21 Day Racial Equity and Habit Building Challenge and the movement they helped to initiate. YWCA’s content is independently designed, written, and curated in partnership with YWCA Greater Cleveland staff as part of racial equity and social justice programs offered to the community.
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh’s YWCA Racial Justice Challenge is presented by Trulieve. Thank you for your support!
Interested in sponsoring the YWCA Racial Justice Challenge? Contact Ginny Giles at ggiles@ywcapgh.org.