The Stand Against Racism Challenge is returning April 2022!
The Stand Against Racism Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. Participants log on to the challenge app on their phone or visit the challenge website and are presented with challenges such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, reflecting on personal experience and more. Participation in an activity like this helps us to discover how racial injustice and social injustice impact our community, to connect with one another, and to identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination.
The challenge is returning this year, April 4th – May 2nd, culminating in our annual Race Against Racism on May 14th! Race details coming soon. Register for the challenge today! Make sure you select Carlisle & Cumberland County under Which YWCA are you participating with? to learn alongside our community.
Register for the Challenge
Interested in more actionable ways to show you support? Join us for our Race Against Racism on May 14th!
Register Today!How to Advocate to State Law Makers
First, read the comments below by Carlisle Mayor Tim Scott. Second, go to https://legiscan.com/PA/pending/house-state-government-committee/id/59 and identify a social justice bill you think your representative should support. Third, using the tips below (after Mayor Scott’s remarks), write and mail a letter or email to your representative. To identify your legislator go to
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/.
Carlisle Mayor Tim Scott
Carlisle Walks 4 Asians
April 6, 2021
Good afternoon everyone. it’s good to see so many people out especially so many young people. I think about 30 years ago I was a young person – but not any more
Thank you any way.
I am here to say to you in no unequivocal terms that your elected and appointed leaders of Carlisle borough condemn all forms of hate, racism, violence, xenophobia, and discrimination against Asian Americans, period.
But as we know those actions and those words aren’t enough so here’s what I need you folks to do. I need you to use your Google machine, and I want you to look up legislation relating to hate crimes, all hate crimes, legislation relating to expanding civiI rights for victims of discrimination. And I want you to write those bill numbers down and I want you to contact your leaders in Harrisburg and in Washington DC and demand that they take a stand .
And I want you to write them, I want you to email them, and when it’s safe I want you go to their offices and sit to their offices until they see you and talk to you.
It’s not enough just to come to these- these are great- I want to thank Carlisle CAN and the Greater Carlisle Responders Network for organizing this march- but we need direct action, people. We’re good here at the Borough. We’ve got a wonderful Human Relations Commission. But more needs to be done on a state and national level and that’s where you come in. So please do that, and If you don’t know who any of these people are that are your leaders in Harrisburg and Washington email me and I’m happy to send you their contact information.
So on behalf of Borough Council, my deputy mayor Sean Schultz, who’s right there- I think Paula Bussard from the school board was here- are there any other elected leaders of Cumberland County here? Yes, yes- all these people! Pay attention! They’re here. They’re for you. The people that aren’t, are not.
Tips to advocating to law makers:
Be sure to include anecdotes in your letter/email or consider other means to individualize it. Stick to one topic. Keep letters to one page. In both letters and emails, be sure your name and address are included and legible. Keep a copy.