The KIT staff and board are participating in a 21-Day Race Equity Habit Building Challenge as part of our Black Lives Matter action plan. The KIT Diversity Task Force (DTF) has crafted a syllabus to assist in creating effective social justice habits, that are inclusive of the KIT mission, and to inspire our journey of connecting, acting, and reflecting about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our focus includes Black American youth and adults with disabilities, as well as topics relevant to identity overall, such as religion, gender, and LGBTQ+ identity. Our work will include sharing reflections internally to further our understanding and collaboration around these important topics. We are sharing our version for anyone that would like to take the challenge themselves or for your program. The goal of this challenge is to create habits of equitable and anti-racist thinking and behavior.

We are thankful to Greg Johnson (KIT Education & Training Specialist and Diversity Task Force Member) and Safaya Fawzi (KIT BOD member) for curating our content and guiding our journey. 

If you’d like more information, please contact us.

21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge ©

“I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the 21-day Challenge. There is so much about American History that I either didn’t know, or learned inaccurately. These readings have helped shape the context of racial/ethnic/and socio-economic issues facing black and brown people in the US. I learned very early on that history is usually told by the ‘winner’, and these historical facts have changed the narrative and perspective I use to think about inequity. As a result of the readings, I am forming new connections with my work, and thinking more on ways to deliberately portray diversity and equity in the training I facilitate.”
 -Phillip C.
“Participating in the 21-day Equity Challenge has helped me dig deeper, think harder, and listen more closely to experiences and voices that have been silenced for far too long. I feel lucky to be part of an organization that is giving us time to unpack the truths of the past and present that will help us become better advocates and allies to those we serve.”
-Anna L.

Day 1 - The Foundations of America are Black

E.R. Shipps, 1619: 400 years ago, a ship arrived in Virginia, bearing human cargo, USA Today (February 8, 2019)—8 min read 

Day 2 - Historical Legacy of Slavery, and Role of Reparations

Day 3 - The Root of Racial Injustice

Megan Ming Francis,Let’s get to the root of racial injustice, TEDTalks (March 21, 2016)—20 min video  

Day 4 - Racial Trauma

Day 5 - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day 6 - Class and the Racial Wealth Gap

Day 7 - Test Your Biases

Project Implicit, Implicit Association Test (IAT), (This exercise requires navigating the sign up for the tests, which includes answering a series of questions for the researchers, but it is recommended that everyone do at least one of these tests: Race, Skin Tone, and Weapons-Race. Also, please complete the Disability Test.) Save your answers for future discussion.—each test takes approx. 10 mins 

Day 8 - Disproportionate Impact of Police Violence on Black Men (with Disabilities)

Day 9 - Disability and the School to Pipeline Prison

Day 10 - Nuances of Black Identity

Day 11 - Black Girls' Experiences and Black Hair

Day 12 - Colorism

Day 13 - Supporting Black Colleagues and Pushing Back Against Microaggressions

Day 14 - Understanding White Privilege

Peggy McIntosh, Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack of White Privilege, The National SEED Project (Originally published 1988)—15 min read  

Day 15 - Intersectionality Part I

Day 16 - Intersectionality Part II: The Intersection of LGBTQ+ Identities and Race

Day 17 - Intersectionality Part III: Race, Faith, Religion and Gender

Day 18 - Supporting Race-Conscious and Anti-Racist Kids, Part I

Day 19 - Supporting Race-Conscious and Anti-Racist Kids, Part II

Day 20 - More on Allyship (across Identities)

Day 21 - Choose Stories from Youth of Color