Racial Equity Challenge

Congratulations on completing the United Way of South Central Michigan Racial Equity Challenge. We are thankful that you have come along with us on this journey and made time to learn and reflect on topics of racial equity. We know these conversations and the feelings they evoke are not always easy, but making space for brave…

“None of us alone can save the nation or the world. But each of us can make a positive difference if we commit ourselves to do so.” – Cornel West  Today’s challenge is to take time to reflect on your experience over the past 20 days. Research shows that a critical component to learning is…

“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And that is the only way forward.” –Ijeoma Oluo  There are various reasons to participate in this challenge.One reason may be to…

“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” – Lilla Watson, Indigenous Australian or Murri visual artist, activist and academic Throughout history, solidarity and coalition building have played an important role in…

“We all have a sphere of influence. Each of us needs to find our own sources of courage so that we can begin to speak. There are many problems to address, and we cannot avoid them indefinitely. We cannot continue to be silent. We must begin to speak, knowing that words alone are insufficient. But…

“And I saw that what divided me from the world was not anything intrinsic to us but the actual injury done by people intent on naming us, intent on believing that what they have named us matters more than anything we could ever actually do.” – Ta-Nahesi Coates.  Equity in the Center, a project of…

“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 understand how multiple…

In order for children to meet developmental milestones, learn, grow and lead full lives, it is critical that they be healthy. Good social-emotional and mental health is a key component of children’s healthy development.   Poverty, trauma, and inadequate treatment are three factors that have been shown to have a sustained, negative impact on children’s…

“There’s no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom.” – Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In her 2025 book, Dr. Eve L Ewing uses historical research to explore the foundations of the United States schooling systems and approaches. Dr. Ewing recounts a compelling history…

“If you ask me what is the most important thing that I have learned about being a Haudenosaunee, it’s the idea that we are connected to a community, but a community that transcends time… We inherit a duty, we inherit a responsibility. And that’s pretty well drummed into our heads. Don’t just come here expecting…