If we are to live up to our own time, then victory won't lighten in the blade,/But in all of the bridges we have made. /That is the promise to glade, the hill be climbed. /If only we dare it because being American is more than a pride we inherit./ It is the past we step into and how we repair it.
-Amanda Gorman
The ABA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council is proud to announce our participation in a “21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge ©,” and we invite all ABA members to join us. The 21-Day Challenge concept was conceived several years ago by diversity expert Eddie Moore, Jr. to advance deeper understandings of the intersections of race, power, privilege, supremacy and oppression. We are grateful to him for publicly sharing and encouraging others to use this concept as an educational tool.
This Challenge builds off of the Challenge created by the Labor and Employment Law Section in June 2020, which created its own syllabus for the Section.
The Goal of the Challenge
The goal of the Challenge is to assist each of us to become more aware, compassionate, constructive, engaged people in the quest for racial equity. It transcends our roles as lawyers. Non-lawyers are also welcome to participate.
How it Works
It is, of course, completely voluntary to do, and participation in the Challenge shall not be construed as agreement with every word of every assignment nor a commitment by any person to a particular professional position or strategy. Further, participants are free to opt out of participating along the way. There is no grade at the end of the Challenge. While it is not the intention of the Challenge to cause offense, some participants may be offended by some language used in the lessons.
The Challenge invites participants to complete a syllabus of 21 short assignments (typically taking 15-30 minutes), over 21 consecutive days, that include readings, videos or podcasts. It has been intentionally crafted to focus on the Black American experience. The assignments seek to expose participants to perspectives on elements of Black history, identity and culture, and to the Black community’s experience of racism in America. Even this focus on Black Americans cannot possibly highlight all of the diversity of experiences and opinions within the Black community itself, much less substitute for learnings about any other community of color. This syllabus is but an introduction to what we hope will be a rewarding journey that extends far beyond the limits of this project.
21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge is the registered copyright of America & Moore, LLC. 2014.