21-day challenge for racial justice

Racial injustice is a significant issue evident in modern-day society, and oftentimes, the media focuses on issues solely based on black and white. While racism affects other minority ethnic groups as well, the lack of representation for these groups calls into question why the media portrays racism as primarily affecting only two races.

Neumann University claims to be a diverse campus, and the 21-day challenge for racial injustice questions this idea. It was a positive experience but, like the media, focused almost solely on black-white race relations.

“21-Day Challenge”

Neumann University students received an email on February 2, 2023, inviting them to a challenge that seemed to last 21 days, when it actually included just three days of meetings to discuss issues regarding racial injustice.

Despite the intimidating challenge name, over 25 staff, faculty, and students gathered and participated in the challenge.

The 21-day challenge for racial justice is an event hosted by Neumann’s DEI council and includes one weekly meeting over the span of three weeks to discuss three different topics. The themes were Historical Context of Race and Racism, Whiteness and Privilege, and Steps Forward. The workshops required that a participant read or watch at least two pieces of content and have an open discussion with the group during the Tuesday meetings.

The purpose of the program is to allow for faculty, staff, and students to engage in deeper understanding and conversations regarding topics related to racial justice.

I took part in this challenge to see the quality and effectiveness of Neumann’s DEI training and how the general public at Neumann regarded racial issues.

To no surprise, the first meeting consisted mostly of white staff and faculty, and three students, including myself.

The challenge was run by Bettsy McKlaine and Billy Pezzotti, both members of Neumann University’s DEI Council.

Prior to each meeting, attendees were required to read or watch a minimum of two content materials to discuss during the meetings, in which participants were split into different groups. After the small group discussions, all the participants gathered to engage in a collective group discussion about what was read or watched.

During the first meeting, the staff and faculty within my group had discussed issues of colorblindness, speaking up and finding solutions to help minorities, and systemic racism in the government and laws.

“I thought colorblindness would be a solution, but after reading and watching the various sources, I realized that colorblindness isn’t a solution and that it’s part of the problem,” one staff member commented.

Being ignorant of color leads to lack of representation and acknowledgment and celebration of each person’s differences. It is not a solution because although you may regard everyone as equal, this is simply not the truth. By acknowledging everyone’s differences and uniqueness, only then can we as a community and society determine solutions for racial injustice.

Another issue that was brought up by one of the participants is the idea of speaking up alongside minorities.

While having allies who are in a position of higher privilege speak up for those who are racially targeted is important, it is essential to differentiate between amplifying minority voices and speaking over them.

As observed from the group and the media, many people mistake standing up for those who are struggling with speaking over them and perpetuating an incorrect idea of their values.

Issues regarding racial injustice are rooted in government institutions and laws. Based on the readings and group discussions, systemic racism works in the favor of the white majority because of the historical context surrounding the Constitution and founding fathers.

The conversations in the first meeting were based on learning and understanding the historical context behind how racism had infiltrated America and American thinking.

In the second meeting, I noticed more minorities attended. Instead of breaking the participants into groups, a large group discussion was held.

The second week’s theme was “Whiteness and Privilege.” Many of the attendees spoke about how many minorities, especially the African American community, have to teach their kids about racism and why they may be treated differently from their white peers from a young age.

Differences in treatment raises a whole category of issues, and one of the points that were brought up was the difference between allyship and being a co-conspirator.

“We don’t need allies, we need co-conspirators,” said one of the minority participants.

An ally refers to someone who voices support, while a co-conspirator relates to someone who puts their words into actions and actively helps and protects minorities. 

Many attendees had stated that in order for change to occur, white people need to acknowledge their white privilege and advantages they have in society. While whiteness does not determine the inherent nature of a person’s character, ignoring the advantages one may have because of race does not resolve issues that minorities struggle with.

Racism is evident in modern society, and has been for centuries, because of the constant exposure and refusal to teach younger generations about the harmfulness of racism.

“Our perception is motivated by fear,” one participant stated.

When it comes to racial injustice, many incidents have occurred as a result of our prejudices, biases, and fears that we have against another person. Fear fuels violence, as seen in many incidents occurring over the past few years, and will only continue if there is no effort to stop racial injustice.

In order to minimize racial injustice, asking questions and confronting racism in our own lives is a starting point. Understanding the stories and perspectives of those who are of a different race or ethnicity is important in learning racial equality.

“Empathy is not that I want to walk in your shoes, but I want to listen to your story and understand how you feel,” said a faculty member.

Each person, regardless of their race, faces challenges in their lives. Although some may be exposed to harsher experiences, understanding one another and each other’s struggles creates community. Though there are many experiences of others that I do not share, having empathy and a willingness to listen to others’ experiences allows for open conversations, removing the stigma around dialogue regarding race.

After the group discussion, everyone moved to the gym for an activity.

The privilege walk

Once we were asked to line up in the middle of the gym in a straight line, I knew we were going to do the privilege walk. With the privilege walk, there are two reactions: fear and dread, or a feeling of indifference. I was feeling a mixture of the two as I stood next to my fellow participants. 

The way the privilege walk operates is that the organizer will read questions regarding race, class, and gender, and will either say step forward or backwards if the question applies to you.

Everyone had closed their eyes and Pezzotti began reading the questions. He asked questions like, “If one or both of your parents graduated from college, take one step forward. If you almost always see members of your race, sexual orientation, religion, and class widely represented on television, in the newspaper, and the media in a positive manner, take one step forward. If you have ever been the only person of your race/ethnicity in a classroom or place of work, take one step back. If you have ever been called names regarding your race, socioeconomic class, gender, sexual orientation, or physical/learning disability and felt uncomfortable, take one step back.”

During the privilege walk, certain questions enabled me to recall various experiences regarding my race throughout my life.

As a Vietnamese American, I have encountered many people who have made racist or ignorant remarks towards me.

During high school, I had been walking home from an afterschool activity when I heard another student call out to me, “Konnichiwa!” I had ignored his remark and continued walking when I heard him say, “Wow, you’re not even gonna say hi back.”

Another instance is when I had worked in my school’s store with my brother and another Vietnamese American student, when one student had said to his friends, “Look, the Chinese are taking over the school store!”

After all the questions were read, participants were asked to open their eyes and see where they were standing, and where the rest of their peers and coworkers were standing.

The result induced various emotions and reactions, with some participants becoming emotional out of embarrassment, and others feeling uncomfortable and awkward about where they were standing.

The purpose of the privilege walk is to allow each person to acknowledge where they stood in terms of their coworkers and peers, and how each person does not have an equal playing field. While many people want to believe that everyone has an equal opportunity for success, the privilege walk reminds us that this is far from the truth. The gap between some people was significant, reminding everyone that each individual does not have the same opportunities as others may have.

Steps forward

The final meeting was a wrap up and conclusion of the discussions taken place over the course of the three weeks.

Along with discussing and acknowledging personal biases, issues relating to representation, inclusivity, and community were brought up.

Conversations regarding race are often stigmatized due to how the issue is addressed. When there are circumstances in which we are confronted with racist behavior, the manner and tone in which we speak to our friends, family, coworkers, and peers is significant. In order to minimize the uncomfortableness surrounding speaking of racial issues, we must normalize having race conversations and address the issues in an appropriate manner.

Racism exists everywhere, both on and off the Neumann campus, and as one staff member commented, “We must repeatedly interrupt racism when we see it.”

By standing up for those who are victims of racial discrimination, racism will slowly fade away, but the first step is to confront racism when we see it happening.

In addition to the mission of the DEI council, the idea of belonging was discussed. Though the “I” stands for inclusivity, one of the participants had stated there was a difference between inclusivity and belonging. While inclusion means to welcome someone, belonging gives a sense of acceptance.

After a short group discussion, each participant was handed a container of jelly beans and a piece of paper. The slip listed the different flavors of jelly beans, and each person was told to assign a monetary value to each flavor, ranging from $0 to $5. Many people assigned the values based on their preference of the flavors, while others randomly assigned values to the various flavors. We were then told to open the jelly bean tin and compute the total value of our tins based on the flavor and corresponding value assigned. In assigning value, many people had associated the flavor with the color of the jelly bean; however, when participants tasted the candies, some beans were flavored unusually, with the color not matching the expected flavor.

The purpose of this activity was to show how each person holds assumptions and how assumptions may not always be correct. When looking at the jelly beans, many participants had assigned a flavor to each one, based on color association. Once the jelly beans were sampled, we discovered that not all the colors we associated with the flavor were what the actual jelly bean flavor was. For example, black jelly beans are assumed to have a licorice flavor, and red beans a cherry flavor. The beans we tasted, however, defied expectations. The color did not match the anticipated flavor.

The key takeaway from the 21-day challenge is to acknowledge that every person has the capability to create changes that can leave a lasting impact. It is important to address racism and to educate one another about how our comments and actions can affect others. Only by using our voice and privilege can we minimize racism in our society, both on and off campus.

I believe that hosting challenges exploring diversity and racism is necessary to create open discussions; however, only a small percentage of the students, staff, and faculty are taking part in these challenges, and oftentimes they are the ones who are willing to create changes in their attitudes and views to diminish racism. Although this is a small step in creating discussion and awareness for racial injustice, educating everyone about racial injustice allows each person to be prepared to face racism.

There are many issues regarding race that are much more than simply black and white, which I observed to be most of the topics of discussion for this challenge. Although each conversation had included other minority groups, it was very minute inclusion. I would have liked to see more discussion and content material that involved other groups besides white and black. There are many other racial and ethnic groups that face similar struggles, yet oftentimes their challenges are minimized because the media focuses on the issues regarding black and white. Because racism stems into more than white and black, I had hoped that the challenge would speak about the struggles of white and black, as well as Hispanics, Asians, and other racial minorities.

Overall, I think the challenge was successful in creating open discussions. The group consisted of open-minded people and the event was organized well.

When Neumann hosts DEI related events, I would like to see more of the student body participating to educate themselves and their peers about issues affecting them and those around them. I think the small student turnout is due to the event being held in the middle of the school day, when most students are busy. For the next semester when the challenge is held, I believe that hosting the event during the free block would attract more attention and student interest.

Neumann University strives for racial equality, and through hosting these events, more students, faculty, and staff can become educated.