Challenges

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Background
The Racial Equity Challenge (REC) was created by Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., Dr. Marguerite Penick-Parks and Debby Irving.  Through short activities (5-30 minutes in length) that occur for a specific number of days, the REC provides individuals with the opportunity to learn about racial equity and social justice. RECs encourage individuals to commit to the eradication of inequality, which hinders everyone.   They are adaptable activities that can be conducted by individuals, groups and organizations and they focus on a variety of topics such as: race and racism, the wealth gap, privilege, environmental justice.

Challenge #1  Race and Racism
Race is a social construct that is used to divide individuals into groups.  Based upon physical attributes, race which lacks a scientific and genetic basis, is used to create and maintain systems of power, privilege, disenfranchisement, and oppression (Chambliss & Eglitis, 2014). Race is fluid.

Racism is “the idea that one group is inherently superior to another group” (Chambliss & Eglistis, 2014, 187).  Racism is used to justify unequal treatment and the allocation of resources (Chambliss & Eglitis, 2014).

Three types of racism are:  individual, cultural, and institutional.  Individual racism refers “to the beliefs, attitudes and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism in conscious and unconscious ways” (Racial Equity Tool, n.d.).  Examples of individual racism include telling racist jokes.  Cultural racism implies that behaviors and values associated with “whiteness” are the best.  It is often visible in “media…policies and laws” (Racial Equity Tools, n.d.). Institutional racism or systemic racism is embedded in social institutions (e.g. education and politics) and promotes the exclusion or promotions of groups.  System racism may be overt (e.g. Jim Crow Laws) or hidden (e.g. educational curriculums in schools that do not include the history of minorities or hiring practices) (Racial Equity Tools, n.d.) (Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre, n.d.)

Please take a few minutes to review one or all the items below:

  • (Video): Anti-Racism Educator Jane Elliott:  There’s Only One Race

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFQkLp5u-No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhcY6fTyBM

Respond to this in section relating the relevant course concepts from your textbook – and cite your textbook in APA format along with the page number – your written response for this section should be at least 1/2 page in length

Challenge #2:  Implicit Bias

Everyone has bias. It “occurs automatically and unintentionally, that nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors” (NIH, n.d.).  Implicit bias can be overcome by “becoming aware of one’s implicit bias, becoming concerned about the consequences of the bias, and learning to replace” them with “nonprejudiced responses” (Law, 2011, 42)

Please take a few minutes to review one or all the items below:

Respond to this in section relating the relevant course concepts from your textbook – and cite your textbook in APA format along with the page number – your written response for this section should be at least 1/2 page in length

Challenge #3:  Privilege
Privilege is an advantage or entitlement.  It is unearned and often unacknowledged.   Privilege results from favor that exists within systems.  It may result from race, gender, education and/or religion.  Individuals who are privileged in one area may experience oppression in others (Rothman, 2014).

Please take a few minutes to review one or all the items below:

Respond to this in section relating the relevant course concepts from your textbook – and cite your textbook in APA format along with the page number – your written response for this section should be at least 1/2 page in length

Challenge #4:  Public Health:  Bias in Health

For centuries, people of color have been exploited by individuals within the medical field.  Institutional racism, such as experimentation on slaves and court ordered sterilization, has led to poor health outcomes for people of color that continue to be prevalent in healthcare today.

Please take a few minutes to review one or all the items below:

  • (Video): Harriet Washington:  Epidemics of Conspiracy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbbWaIEmHnA

  • (Video): History of Racism in Medicine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfYRzxeMdGs

  • (Article): The First Birth Control Pill Used Puerto Rican Women as Guinea Pigs

https://www.history.com/news/birth-control-pill-history-puerto-rico-enovid

  • (Listen): The Supreme Court Ruling That Led To 70,000 Forced Sterilizations

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/07/469478098/the-supreme-court-ruling-that-led-to-70-000-forced-sterilizations

https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/how-implicit-bias-harms-patient-care

Respond to this in section relating the relevant course concepts from your textbook – and cite your textbook in APA format along with the page number – your written response for this section should be at least 1/2 page in length

Challenge #5:  Economic Inequality – The Black-White Wealth Gap

In-depth examinations on economic equality reveal that devastating disparities are present between black and white households as a result of long-term inequality and discrimination.  In 2016, it was estimated that the average white family had net worth that was approximately ten times that of a comparable black family.  (McIntosh, Moss, Nunn, Shambaugh, 2020).

Please review one or more of the articles below to learn more about the Black-White Wealth Gap and suggested solutions.

  • Article: The Asset Value of Whiteness:  Understanding the Racial Wealth Gap

https://www.demos.org/research/asset-value-whiteness-understanding-racial-wealth-gap

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2020/07/06/how-to-build-black-wealth/

Respond to this in section relating the relevant course concepts from your textbook – and cite your textbook in APA format along with the page number – your written response for this section should be at least 1/2 page in length

Challenge #6:  Inequality within the Criminal Justice System

As a result of racism and discrimination, racial disparities within the criminal justice system continue to exist in our society.  Decisions that are made by law makers and policies that are implemented have created an unjust system that leads to the arrests and prosecutes people of color at higher rates (Vera Institute of Justice, 2020)

Please review one or more of the sources below to learn about inequality within the criminal justice system.

  • Article: The Implicit Racial Bias in Sentencing: The Next Frontier

https://www.yalelawjournal.org/forum/the-implicit-racial-bias-in-sentencing

  • Article: Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System

https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/un-report-on-racial-disparities/

  • NAACP: Criminal Justice Fact Sheet

https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/

  • Video: A prosecutor’s vision for a better justice system:  Adam Foss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1fvr9rGgSg

  • Video: Angela J. Davis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FFMTQG8ODY

Respond to this in section relating the relevant course concepts from your textbook – and cite your textbook in APA format along with the page number – your written response for each section should be at least 1/2 page in length

All three sections should be submitted in one document – one paper that should be at least three pages in length (at least ½ page for each topic x 6 = at least 3 pages.  A longer analysis is encouraged!