Day 7: Intersectionality

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Day 7: Intersectionality “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” Audre Lorde – writer, professor, philosopher, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist A discussion of privilege and oppression is not complete without a broader discussion of intersectionality, a concept that helps us…

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Day 6: What is Power, Privilege and Oppression?

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Day 6: What is Power, Privilege and Oppression? Our goal is to create more equitable and just communities. To do this, we need to have some shared language to understand what barriers and opportunities exist. You may have heard conversations using the terms power, privilege, and oppression. Let’s explore a few definitions to get us…

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Day 5: Understanding and Reflecting on Bias

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Day 5: Understanding and Reflecting on Bias The topic of bias can sometimes be a difficult one. Most of us see ourselves, rightly so, as kind, caring individuals who try to do right by others. As we dive into this topic, I hope one thing is clear: all of us have bias. It often shows…

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Day 4: A Reflection on Identity

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Day 4: A Reflection on Identity How often do you think about your race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, dis/ability, or other social identities? Which identity/ies do you think about the most in your day-to-day? For many of us, the identities we are most aware of in ourselves are the ones that create challenges…

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Day 3: Caring for Yourself in Your Equity Journey

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Day 3: Caring for Yourself in Your Equity Journey As you go through these lessons, there are some that you might have a more personal connection to than others. There are some that might make you defensive, and some that might make you deflated. It’s important to check in with yourself to understand what emotions…

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Day 2: Why Equity?

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Day 2: Why Equity Equality means giving everyone the same resources. Equity means offering different resources to different people/groups with the goal of creating equal opportunity for success. In other words, equality is the goal we’re moving toward, equity is how we get there.  Let’s imagine that you are logging on to a virtual meeting…

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Day 1: Welcome

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Welcome to United Way of South Central Michigan’s 21-Day Equity Challenge!   We are so grateful you have decided to join us in this work. Every day at United Way, we look to partner with community members like you who are committed to a future where everyone can lead a flourishing life. To do this, we…

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Day 21: Take Action

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Take Action Congratulations on completing the 21-Day LGBTQIA+ Equity Challenge. Talking about systems of oppression, exploring our own privilege, and engaging in allyship isn’t an easy process; however, it is necessary in order to create change in our communities. We encourage each of you to continue these conversations, share a reflection on your experience with…

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Day 20: Reflection

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Reflection Today’s opportunity is to take time to reflect on your experience with this challenge. Research shows that a critical component to learning is taking time to reflect on the presented content or being intentional about processing what you’ve learned.  TODAY’S CHALLENGE Reflection: Group Discussion: 

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