“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.  We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.  We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

Racial justice and equity can feel overwhelming at times.  One step forward can feel like months, even years, in the making.  But please don’t get discouraged; all change happens one step at a time.  We hope, after 21 days, racial justice has become a habit.  We hope you have a strong foundation to continue forward.  It is now up to you.

Here are actionable steps to help you along your racial justice journey.  The Personal Action Plan will help make the journey more exciting, hopeful, and long-term.  The plan can be altered to fit your preferences and lifestyle.  Creating a plan that is unique to you will help you stick to it.

The plan begins with suggested action items.  They are ideas to help get you started.  The ideas are divided into three categories: racial justice for me, my peers and me, and my community and me.  The list of action items is similar to the ‘Do’ category of the Challenge.  They require you to put in the hard work of racial justice in your own life.  Change doesn’t happen until we put it into action.  You will see that many of the action items have additional resources that can be used to help guide your journey.

The second part of the plan can be individualized to you.  It is to be completed by you for you.  Additionally, racial justice is a long-term goal, so we need to plan for the long term.  In the plan, you will find a 7-7-7 template.  You will make plans for the next 7 days, 7 weeks, and 7 months.  This format allows you to turn your journey into manageable, bite-sized pieces.  When completing the plan, be honest about where you are in your journey.

This is your starting point.  There is no shame in starting at the beginning.  All we ask is that you keep going.

Thank you to our Founding Sponsor, Giant, for making the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge a reality.

RACIAL JUSTICE FOR ME
Continue educating yourself on anti-racism

·         Shippensburg University has a guide to anti-racist books and resources

·         Find more content here

Read Anti-Racist Books

·         Check out this book list for all ages

Watch documentaries and films about racial justice

·         PBS has a list of films focused on race in the United States

Talk to your children about race

·         Here is a list of resources to get you started

·         Podcast ‘How White Parents Can Talk to their Kids about Race’

Read books with diverse characters to your children

·         Check out this list of children’s books that feature diverse characters

·         This article is titled 10 books besides ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ that tackle Racial Injustice

Shop at BIPOC owned businesses

·         List of BIPOC owned businesses in the Cumberland County Area

·         Etsy is promoting the shops of Asian American and Pacific Islanders for AAPI Heritage Month

·         Black owned Etsy Shops

·         Forbes’ list of 100 Black-Owned Businesses

Promote BIPOC owned businesses in your community by publishing a Yelp review and/or posting a picture of your experience on your social media accounts
Safely join a local protest
Donate to racial justice organizations

·         List of national organizations you can donate to

Vote in your local and federal elections for candidates who support racial equity
Pay attention to proposed public policy and how it affects racial justice

·         Check out this article to better understand this task

Sign petitions related to racial justice issues

·         List of racial justice petitions

Speak up when you hear racial slurs, jokes, or stereotypes

·         Read this article for help

·         Browse I Hollaback’s resources

Create meaningful connections and relationships with people who look different from you
Diversify your news feed by following BIPOC and BIPOC-led organizations on social media

·         Check out this website called ‘Good Black News, The Good Things Black People Do, Give and Receive all over the World’

·         Today’s Black, Asian American, and Latino Voices News

·         Dickinson’s Diversity and Inclusion News platform for happy news

Listen to more music by BIPOC musicians

·         Check out this article ‘8 Emerging BIPOC Artists You Should Know’

·         BIPOC artists for children

Check out free classes about the history of race and racism in the United States

·         St. John’s University classes

·         This article shares 6 free online courses from Ivy League schools

RACIAL JUSTICE FOR MY PEERS AND ME
Have a conversation with someone, who did not take the Challenge, about racial equity and justice

·         Use this article to help start the conversation

·         Diversity Toolkit: A guide to discussing identity, power, and privilege

·         ‘How to Have a Respectful Conversation about Racial Justice’ article

Host a living room conversation with family or friends about the topic
Have a date with friends at a BIPOC owned restaurant

·         List of BIPOC owned businesses in the Cumberland County Area

Go on a shopping spree with friends at BIPOC owned businesses
At your workplace, recruit BIPOC for open positions

·         Recruit from historically black colleges and universities

·         Interview a diverse array of candidates

·         List of job boards with diverse applicants for hire

Start a racial justice book club with your friends

·         Learn more about the YWCA’s RISE book club here

Start a racial justice film, documentary, and movie club

·         PBS has a list of films focused on race in the United States

·         Check out Netflix’s Black Lives Matters category

RACIAL JUSTICE FOR MY COMMUNITY AND ME
Volunteer at local organizations promoting racial justice

·         Some local organizations include Not in Our Town, Community Responders Network, Moving Circles, Hope Station, and YWCA Carlisle and Cumberland County

Participate in local organizations’ fundraisers to raise money for social and racial justice initiatives
Start a program, town hall, discussion, and/or speech focused on racial justice in your community
Organize a protest
Encourage Black History and the narratives of other marginalized communities are taught in schools
Join local colleges and universities racial justice programming

·         Check out Dickinson College’s diversity and inclusion news

·         Find Shippensburg University events around celebrating diversity

·         Messiah University’s multicultural clubs and organizations

Promote art as activism. Support local artists who promote racial and social justice through their artwork.  Encourage local organizations to showcase this artwork in their buildings.
Promote and encourage racial healing in your community.  Allow people, specifically BIPIOC, the space and rest they need to prioritize their mental health.

·         Watch videos from the National day of Racial Healing Event 2021

Encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion in your workplace and community

·         Article ‘5 Ways to Approach Racial Equity at Work’

·         Guide to Building an Anti-Racism Workplace

Advocate for better tracking and collection of data from police.  This information should be transparent, so the public can keep law enforcement accountable.  When the data is collected and thoroughly analyzed, people are better able to see possible patterns of racism and prejudice.

·         Read this article on police reforms

·         List of organizations addressing police accountability and racial justice

Advocate for transparency of school punishments and expulsions in your area.  When punishments are tracked, collected, and analyzed for inequities in race and ethnicity, schools are able to better see any bias in their institution.

·         Read more about tracking discipline and equity in schools here

MY RACIAL JUSTICE ACTION PLAN

What Ideas Can I Implement:
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Who is in your anti-racist community? Who will keep you accountable?
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How are you centering the voices and experiences of BIPOC?
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List an Action you will take within the next 7 days:
My Action:

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Who do you need to contact?

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What resources do you need to complete this action?

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What barriers must you overcome? Describe how you will address each:

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List an Action you will take within the next 7 Weeks:
My Action:

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Who do you need to contact?

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What resources do you need to complete this action?

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What barriers must you overcome? Describe how you will address each:

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List an Action you will take within the next 7 Months:
My Action:

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Who do you need to contact?

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What resources do you need to complete this action?

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What barriers must you overcome? Describe how you will address each:

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