What It Is:

The project is based on the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge. The self-guided on-line United Way challenge was promoted by all three Rotary Districts in Georgia to all Georgia Rotarians in March, giving all “the opportunity to take a deeper dive into the discussion of racial equity and healing.” We chose this challenge because it has been promoted by Rotary's Georgia Districts, is local to the Greater Atlanta community and is educational in scope. It contains content that is research and data based, and contains various interactive ways to learn about racism and discrimination, their harmful effects on us all, and actions to take to overcome it.

How It Works:

The challenge will run 21 weeks, beginning November 4th. Each week will begin on Thursday afternoon and run through the following Thursday morning, and and will correspond to one day of the United Way challenge as follows:

• Each Thursday afternoon, members will receive an email with a link to a new challenge topic for the week.
• On Friday (the next day) at the beginning of our club’s meeting, an announcement will be made regarding the new topic and a brief summary of what to expect. The announcement and summary will also be included in the meeting recap.
• Each Tuesday afternoon, you will receive an email that contains a Zoom link to the Thursday morning discussion group devoted to the week’s topic.
• Each Thursday morning at 7:30am you will have an opportunity to join a discussion group of the previous week’s topic.
• Each month we will provide additional programs and projects, such as speakers and dedicated club meetings, to extend our learning and action toward creating a more equitable community.

Please keep the 4 Way Test in mind as you participate in the challenge. The goal is to raise the consciousness for all of us as we recite the 4 Way Test each week. Our membership and club will be strengthened by undertaking the challenge to overcome racism and discrimination.

Why:

American writer and activist James Baldwin said: Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. If we don’t take the time to look squarely in the face of racism and discrimination, we miss the opportunity to chip away at the harmful effects they have on us all and the generations that follow. And we miss the opportunity to grow and improve upon humanity. With AWER membership in mind, the Equity and 4 Way Test committee found the challenge as a way to start our journey toward a more inclusive Greater Atlanta community, beginning with ourselves.