21-Day Equity Challenge

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The 21-day Equity Challenge is designed to help us all learn and grow in our understanding of equity and its importance in our community.

Over the course of 21 days, we will provide you with resources to help you explore different aspects of equity, including race, gender, sexuality, ability, and more. By participating in this challenge, you will have the opportunity to deepen your understanding of these issues and to take concrete steps towards creating a more equitable county.

Equity, both as a concept and practice, is about creating fairness and access to opportunity for everyone, especially those who have been historically disadvantaged and underserved. In promoting inclusive knowledge and awareness about our community, we seek to equip and inspire participants in learning how to imagine and realize a more inclusive and equitable world.

Quick-Guide to the Challenge

How to Do the Challenge

For 21 days, as community members and lifelong learners, we challenge you to commit a moment of your time to learn more about equity. Through our resource lists, you will find information that we invite you to READ, WATCH, and even places to VISIT that will aid you in learning the many ways that equity is present in our lives and our communities.

Reflect

This is a self-guided challenge, and the reflection questions are provided as a means to help participants process the information throughout their journey. We encourage everyone to share their reflections as they will be considered in our ongoing work and support of the community.

Choose a Topic to Learn About

Our Office of Equity and Inclusion follows nationally set best practices. We selected the topics because they are aligned with the federally recognized protected classes from the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Engage with Your Local Community

Invite friends, family, and neighbors to participate in the equity challenge. Host a discussion or attend an event that focuses on one of the challenge topics. After you've completed the challenge - keep the conversation, and the learning going.

The 21-day Equity Challenge is designed to help us all learn and grow in our understanding of equity and its importance in our community.

Over the course of 21 days, we will provide you with resources to help you explore different aspects of equity, including race, gender, sexuality, ability, and more. By participating in this challenge, you will have the opportunity to deepen your understanding of these issues and to take concrete steps towards creating a more equitable county.

Equity, both as a concept and practice, is about creating fairness and access to opportunity for everyone, especially those who have been historically disadvantaged and underserved. In promoting inclusive knowledge and awareness about our community, we seek to equip and inspire participants in learning how to imagine and realize a more inclusive and equitable world.

Quick-Guide to the Challenge

How to Do the Challenge

For 21 days, as community members and lifelong learners, we challenge you to commit a moment of your time to learn more about equity. Through our resource lists, you will find information that we invite you to READ, WATCH, and even places to VISIT that will aid you in learning the many ways that equity is present in our lives and our communities.

Reflect

This is a self-guided challenge, and the reflection questions are provided as a means to help participants process the information throughout their journey. We encourage everyone to share their reflections as they will be considered in our ongoing work and support of the community.

Choose a Topic to Learn About

Our Office of Equity and Inclusion follows nationally set best practices. We selected the topics because they are aligned with the federally recognized protected classes from the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Engage with Your Local Community

Invite friends, family, and neighbors to participate in the equity challenge. Host a discussion or attend an event that focuses on one of the challenge topics. After you've completed the challenge - keep the conversation, and the learning going.

  • Race, Ethnicity, Religion, and Cultural Practices

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    We are one for all in Albemarle.

    It’s our ongoing commitment to recognize, educate and break down barriers of inequity and exclusion regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, ability/disability, socioeconomic status, and more.

    The 21-Day Equity Challenge is designed to bring awareness to the challenges and opportunities of equity for groups within our community. Thank you for exploring this topic!

    You'll find the Watch/Read/Visit resources below. Not sure where to start? Spin the wheel!

    Challenge Items

    Item Action
    Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race Read
    American Hijab: Why My Scarf is a Sociopolitical Statement, Not a Symbol of My Religiosity Read
    UVA and the History of Race: Property and Power Read
    Monacan Indian Nation preserves a proud heritage for the next generation Watch
    A Brief History of Religious Freedom in the United States Read
    James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen (2022)

    If you've ever eaten macaroni and cheese, French fries, or ice cream, you've enjoyed the contributions of America's unknown culinary founding father, James Hemings. James Hemings was the first American to train as a master chef. He was also the brother-in-law and enslaved property of Thomas Jefferson.

    Learn more about his story explored by food historians, celebrated chefs, experts on race and the African American diaspora.

    		 Watch
    On Location with the Arab American National Museum Watch
    Embracing Multilingualism and Eradicating Linguistic Bias Watch
    Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Visit
    B.F. Yancey Community Center Visit
    Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia Visit
    River View Farm at Ivy Creek Visit
    Jefferson School African American Heritage Center Visit

    Our Stories
    Native Hawaiian filmmaker Conrad Lihilihi presents a four-part historical Docu-series examining the 1896 Hawaiian Language Ban from public education. This series approaches the subject culminating in a rich and diverse panel of academics in language, history, and politics.

    		 Virtual Tour

    ¡Presente! National Museum of the American Latino
    Explore the interactive map to learn more about the features in the Molina Family Latino Gallery and content from the ¡Presente! exhibit.

    		 Virtual Tour
    National Museum of American Jewish History Core Exhibition
    Beginning in the 1600s when the first permanent Jewish settlers came to the New World from Brazil, this exhibition flows chronologically as it highlights the diverse backgrounds, expectations, and experiences of Jews who first came to these shores and the generations that followed. The exhibition illustrates the choices they faced, the challenges they confronted, and the ways in which they shaped, and were shaped by, their American home.    		 Virtual Tour


    Terms to Know

    Race: the social construction and categorization of people based on perceived shared physical traits that result in the maintenance of a sociopolitical hierarchy (APA, 2021b). The dictionary’s definition of race is incomplete and misses the complexity of impact on lived experiences. It is important to acknowledge race is a social fabrication, created to classify people on the arbitrary basis of skin color and other physical features. Although race has no genetic or scientific basis, the concept of race is important and consequential. Societies use race to establish and justify systems of power, privilege, disenfranchisement, and oppression. (Race and Racial Identity | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)

    Ethnicity: A characterization of people based on having a shared culture (e.g., language, food, music, dress, values, and beliefs) related to common ancestry and shared history. (APA, 2021b).

    Religious Liberty: a right to personal religious beliefs and to worship in a sacred place. This right also encompasses religious observance and practice.

    Racial Equity: the condition that would be achieved if one's racial identity no longer predicts one's life outcomes. When we use the term, we are thinking about racial equity as one part of racial justice, and thus we also include work to address the root causes of inequities, not just their manifestation. This includes the elimination of policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural messages that reinforce differential outcomes by race or fail to eliminate them. Race and Social Equity Definitions | City of Alexandria, VA (alexandriava.gov)


  • Gender and Sexual Orientation

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    We are one for all in Albemarle.

    It’s our ongoing commitment to recognize, educate and break down barriers of inequity and exclusion regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, ability/disability, socioeconomic status, and more.

    The 21-Day Equity Challenge is designed to bring awareness to the challenges and opportunities of equity for groups within our community. Thank you for exploring this topic!

    You'll find the Watch/Read/Visit resources below. Not sure where to start? Spin the wheel!

    Challenge Items

    Item Action
    Creating Safer Spaces for LGBTQ Youth Toolkit Read
    Albemarle County School District's Transgender and Gender-Expansive Student Policy
    		 Read
    Pride: An Inspirational History of the LGBTQ+ Movement Read
    History of Pride Since the 1800s
    This video explores the history of the LGBT movement in America since the 1800s.    		 Watch
    LGBT Equality Maps
    Movement Advancement Project created these maps to...    		 Read
    PFLAG Website
    PFLAG is an organization that provides informational resources for parents, friends, and family to support the LGBTQIA+ people in their lives.    		 Visit

    Visit a LOVE sign and take a photo (Downtown Mall; CASPCA, Scottsville Elementary, IX Art Park, Claudius Crozet Park)

    		 Visit

    Write a positive message on the Free Speech Wall to show your support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

    		 Visit
    Sex Assigned at Birth and Gender Identity: What is the Difference?
    A person’s sex assigned at birth, gender identity and gender expression can all be different. Who someone is attracted to—their sexual orientation—is not related to sex assigned at birth, gender identity, or gender expression. Everyone has a sex assigned at birth, a gender identity, and a sexual orientation. Watch this video to learn more.    		 Watch


    Terms to Know

    Gender is the socially constructed ideas about behavior, actions, and roles of a particular sex (APA, 2021b).

    Sexual Orientation and Identity refers to an “enduring disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions to men, women, nonbinary people, and so forth. It also encompasses an individual’s sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them.” (Brief for American Psychological Association et al., as Amici Curiae supporting petitioners, Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015, p. 7)

    Gender Equity removes the obstacles to progress that are inherent in our society and it is the bridge to treating all people fairly, whether they are male, female, transgender, or nonbinary. It solves problems with our labor force by providing more opportunities for women to excel in professions currently dominated by men. It allows all genders to express a thought without fear of bias or bigotry, which increases collaboration in families, communities, work, and politics. Gender equity reduces crime and violence against women and makes communities safer on all levels. (United Way of National Capital Area, 2022)

  • Ability and Disability

    Share Ability and Disability on Facebook Share Ability and Disability on Twitter Share Ability and Disability on Linkedin Email Ability and Disability link

    We are one for all in Albemarle.

    It’s our ongoing commitment to recognize, educate and break down barriers of inequity and exclusion regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, ability/disability, socioeconomic status, and more.

    The 21-Day Equity Challenge is designed to bring awareness to the challenges and opportunities of equity for groups within our community. Thank you for exploring this topic!

    You'll find the Watch/Read/Visit resources below. Not sure where to start? Spin the wheel!

    Challenge Items

    Item Action
    What would a truly disabled-accessible city look like?
    		 Read
    Become a Disability A.L.L.Y. in Your Community and Improve Inclusion for All
    		 Read
    5 ways to include disability in equity work - Teach. Learn. Grow.
    		Read
    Common Barriers to Participation Experienced by People with Disabilities Read
    Despite the ADA, equity is still out of reach
    		 Read
    Digital Equity Champions for ALL Learners: How The Arc Advances Digital Skills for Individuals with Disabilities and Their Families
    		 Read


    Terms to Know

    Disability: broadly defined as the interaction of physical, psychological, intellectual, and socioemotional differences or impairments with the social environment (World Health Organization, 2001)

    Ableism: stereotyping, prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory behavior, and social oppression toward people with disabilities that inhibit the rights and well-being of people with disabilities, which is currently the largest minority group in the United States (APA, 2021b; Bogart & Dunn, 2019).

    Digital Equity/Access: Digital equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services. (National Digital Inclusion Alliance)

  • Socioeconomic Status

    Share Socioeconomic Status on Facebook Share Socioeconomic Status on Twitter Share Socioeconomic Status on Linkedin Email Socioeconomic Status link

    We are one for all in Albemarle.

    It’s our ongoing commitment to recognize, educate and break down barriers of inequity and exclusion regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, ability/disability, socioeconomic status, and more.

    The 21-Day Equity Challenge is designed to bring awareness to the challenges and opportunities of equity for groups within our community. Thank you for exploring this topic!

    You'll find the Watch/Read/Visit resources below. Not sure where to start? Spin the wheel!

    Challenge Items

    Item Action
    Albemarle County Equity Profile
    		 Read
    2022 MAPP2Health Report
    This report examines the Social Determinants of Health and focuses on advancing health equity through targeted policies and practices that influence the built environment and healthcare systems.
    		 Read
    Orange Dot Report 5.0
    This report provides a detailed look at economic indicators that directly impact families across the greater Charlottesville region. The Orange Dot Report 5.0 shows that 9,413 families, or 14 percent of families in our area, do not make enough money to afford the essentials of life—food, shelter, clothing, and utilities—and the added costs associated with working—childcare and transportation.
    		 Read
    The Gender Wage Gap Endures in the U.S.
    		 Read
    Digital Equity Takes Center Stage in U.S. Cities Post COVID
    		 Read
    Raised/Razed
    This film dives deep into Charlottesville, VA’s oldest African American neighborhood, charting the lives of residents as they faced racially discriminatory policies and a city government that saw them as the only thing between it and progress. Learn the hard truths of the federal Urban Renewal program, and the broader history of its effect in Durham, NC, and other communities across America.
    		 Watch
    What is Health Equity?
    		 Watch
    5 Social Determinants of Health in Healthy People in 2030
    		 Watch


    Terms to Know

    Socioeconomic status (SES) encompasses not only income but also educational attainment, occupational prestige, and subjective perceptions of social status and social class. SES encompasses quality-of-life attributes and opportunities afforded to people within society and is a consistent predictor of a vast array of psychological outcomes (APA, 2019a).

    Broadband equity ensures that everyone is able to access and use affordable, high-speed, reliable internet that meets their long-term needs. (National Digital Inclusion Alliance)

    Digital Divide refers to the gap between those who have affordable access, skills, and support to effectively engage online and those who do not. As technology constantly evolves, the digital divide prevents equal participation and opportunity in all parts of life, disproportionately affecting people of color, Indigenous peoples, households with low incomes, people with disabilities, people in rural areas, and older adults. (National Digital Inclusion Alliance)

    Health Equity ensures that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care. (Braveman et al., 2017)

Page last updated: 02 Oct 2023, 02:53 PM