Thank you for pledging to take a Stand Against Racism in 2022!

This year, Stand Against Racism participants get access to an exclusive, self-paced curriculum of racial equity content developed by YW Boston to educate, contextualize, and empower organizations and individuals looking to better understand and address racism in Boston.

If you need help additional help participating in our campaign and introducing Stand Against Racism content at your organization, check out our Participant Toolkit.

Stand Against Racism spans the month of April and ends in:

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Note: Our curriculum content will stay up on our website indefinitely and you may continue to engage with it after the campaign ends.

2022 Stand Against Racism Curriculum

Use the outline below to navigate to specific sections of the curriculum.

  1. Foundations of Racial Equity
    • The Construction of Race
    • Social Identities and Intersectionality
    • What are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?
  2. Understanding Inequitable Systems
    • Criminal (in)Justice
    • Housing
    • Healthcare
    • Immigration
  3. Continued Learning and Action
  4. Claim your Completion Badge

Download Curriculum as a PDF file

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1. Foundations of Racial Equity

The Construction of Race

The United States’ founding document, the Declaration of Independence, stated preservation of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The disparities we currently see across racial, gender, and economic divides do not align with these values. And yet, rather than believing we have veered off the path of our country’s founding, we must recognize that there has always been a disconnect between those stated values and how our systems have been formed. When we do that, we can deeply examine how our current systems of oppression were formed and how they continue to function. We defined “oppression” in our Participant Toolkit as the systemic and institutional abuse of power by one group at the expense of others and the use of force to maintain this dynamic. (kzoo.edu)

The video above is an excerpt from one of YW Boston’s DEI Forums titled “Inequitable Systems as Violence.” Our DEI Forums are part of YW Boston’s DEI Services and are facilitated for organizations of all sizes. Click here to learn more about our services and how YW Boston can support equitable change within your organization.

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2. Understanding Inequitable Systems

Many existing systems continue to perpetuate long-standing inequities to this day. Exploring inequities in a topical and systemic manner allows us to inspect the beliefs, policies, and practices that uphold these inequities so we can envision individual and collective action. In this section, we will explore some of these systems and contextualize them locally within Boston and Massachusetts.

Criminal (in)Justice

In an ideal world, law enforcement would carry out the mission statement “To protect and to serve,” without discrimination, but for people of color this is far from reality. Though the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 brought the issue to the forefront for the first time for some, inequities in the criminal justice system have always existed at its foundation. In America, and internationally, the beliefs and attitudes about a person’s race can determine how they’re treated by the criminal justice system.

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3. Continued Learning and Action

Racism is a long-standing, over-arching system that requires both collective and individual action to dismantle. The work can feel unsurmountable, but by engaging in continuous learning, education, and action planning, we can get closer to achieving justice. Below you will find some resources to complement the Stand Against Racism curriculum you have just completed that will help you take follow up action.

For this section, we’ll be referring to the 4 I’s Framework presented on page 9 of your Stand Against Racism Participant Toolkit. Take a moment to review it again.

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4. Claim your Completion Badge

Have you completed this year’s Stand Against Racism curriculum? Let us know so we can send you a personalized Stand Against Racism badge to showcase your participation. Please fill out the form below to claim your badge.

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Share the news on social media!

Help YW Boston engage as many people as possible in racial equity work by sharing your participation on social media and encouraging others to take a #StandAgainstRacism.

Sample social media posts:

  • We are proud to be participating in YW Boston’s 2022 #StandAgainstRacism campaign! Learn more and sign up on @ywboston’s website: https://www.ywboston.org/our-work/ourprograms/stand-against-racism/2022-stand-against-racism/
  • We must all learn about and strive toward racial equity. Sign up to participate in YW Boston’s 2022 #StandAgainstRacism campaign. Participants will receive access to an exclusive, self-paced curriculum of racial equity content and a toolkit to help guide reflection and action. Plus, you’ll get a digital badge for participating! https://www.ywboston.org/our-work/our-programs/stand-againstracism/2022-stand-against-racism/
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Stay engaged!
  • Follow YW Boston on social media @ywboston to stay up to date about our work and ways to get involved.
  • Learn more about our DEI Services and how YW Boston can partner with your organization to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Make a gift to YW Boston to ensure we can continue to provide free anti-racism content for years to come.
Questions?

If you have any questions about Stand Against Racism, please reach out to Aaron Halls at ahalls@ywboston.org.

Special thank you to our Stand Against Racism sponsor:

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