YWCA Racial Justice Challenge

The YWCA Racial Justice Challenge returned for its 4th year on April 1 – April 30, 2024.

The YWCA Racial Justice Challenge is a virtual learning tool designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. New content is released each weekday and participants who log on to the Challenge app or visit the website will be presented with 21 days of activities like reading an article, listening to a podcast, or reflecting on personal experience.

To learn more about how your organization can participate in the 2025 YWCA Racial Justice Challenge, please contact Sebastian Lacy. To learn about 2025 YWCA Racial Justice Challenge sponsorship opportunities, please contact Samantha Paolo.

Did you miss the YWCA Racial Justice Challenge this year, or didn’t have time to finish? All content is still available on our educational online platform!

If you did not register for the 2024 YWCA Racial Justice Challenge, please use registration instructions below to access content. If you are already registered, please use the button below to access content.

  • Participants can register from a web browser or through an app.

    Web browser registration instructions:

    • Visit the YWCA Racial Justice Challenge webpage

    • Create an account or sign in to your existing YWCA account

    • On the left panel, choose "2024 Racial Justice Collection"

    • Find "2024 Pittsburgh Racial Justice Challenge" and click "Join"

    App registration instructions: 

    • Download the YWCA USA app for iPhone or Android

    • Create an account or sign in to your existing YWCA account

    • Tap the circular YWCA logo on the bottom left corner

    • Tap "2024 Racial Justice Collection"

    • Find "2024 Pittsburgh Racial Justice Challenge" and click "Join"

2024 Topics

  • WEEK 1 – BODILY AUTONOMY

    Bodily autonomy is one of the most fundamental rights we have as human beings. However, across the country, this fundamental right is being challenged. This week, we will have difficult conversations about some of the many ways marginalized bodies are restricted, policed, and violated. Laws have been proposed and passed that limit the rights of transgender nonconforming, and non-binary individuals, impacting their access to essential medical care and their ability to exist in public spaces. The fight for reproductive choice is also an ongoing struggle that has taken critical decisions out of the hands of individuals. Weight stigma, which disproportionately impacts women of Color, is yet another way we police bodies that has a profoundly negative impact on people’s physical and mental health. People of color also face discrimination based on their hair texture and style. Each day this week, we will dive into a different aspect of this critical conversation.

  • WEEK 2 – WOMEN’S FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT & CAREGIVING

    Women’s financial empowerment is critical to achieving gender equity. Generations of women were denied control over their financial life, and it wasn’t until 1974 that women were allowed to have credit cards in their own name. Today, more women are taking control of their finances, and making important decisions about budgeting, saving, and investing. Despite all this progress, inequities persist, with bias, and the racial, gender, and motherhood pay gaps continuing to hold women back from reaching their full economic potential. Women are also still expected to do a significant amount of unpaid labor such as childcare, caring for older relatives, and maintaining the home. According to a new study from PayScale, the gender pay gap can mean $900,000 in lost wages over a woman’s lifetime. This loss of financial power has huge implications for women’s long-term quality of life.

  • WEEK 3 – GUN VIOLENCE

    This week’s content will focus on gun violence, which may be distressing for some individuals. If you have been impacted, please consider your well-being before engaging with this material. YWCA is committed to ensuring that communities are safe places for women and girls to thrive. The United States has the highest number of civilian-owned firearms in the world and headlines and research make clear, however, gun violence is a major threat to their health and safety. From school hallways to music festivals and nightclubs to homes and communities across the country, women experience unacceptably high levels of gun violence that leave them at heightened risk of harm and death. This week we will explore the history of gun ownership in America, and how it has impacted the lives of marginalized people.

  • WEEK 4 – TRANSPORTATION

    Access to transportation impacts every aspect of our lives, from our ability to get to work, access healthcare, and educate our children. With so much at stake, transportation equity is critical to eliminating racism and empowering women. Reimagining the way we think about our roads, buses, and sidewalks is essential for addressing the historical injustices such as segregation and present-day inequities including access to safe transportation in marginalized communities, sexual harassment on public transportation, and roads that are unsafe for pedestrians. These disparities disproportionately affect people of color and low-income individuals, contributing to ongoing economic and social inequalities. Together, we can create transportation systems that serve as catalysts for broader societal change, and foster inclusivity, justice, and empowerment for all.

See content from 2022

  • Critical Race Theory

    YWCA is committed to antiracism and a key part of this mission is to ensure that children learn a truthful accounting of our country’s history of systemic racism and how that legacy continues to impact our lives today. This week will explore what Critical Race Theory is, the misconceptions surrounding it, and what participants can do to act.

    What is Critical Race Theory?

    Racism in School Curriculum

    Teaching the Next Generation

    Legislative Backlash to CRT

    Truth and Healing

  • Living Wage

    Over a quarter of America’s workers make less than $15 per hour. Women of color are disproportionately likely to make less than a living wage. We are going to talk about how raising the minimum wage to a living wage could be a powerful tool for closing the racial and gender wealth gaps, the history of the sub-minimum wage, and why paying a living wage is key to an equitable workplace.

    What is Living Wage?

    Minimum Wage

    Racist History of Tipping

    Closing the Racial & Gender Wealth Gap

    Organizational Values

  • Film and Television

    Film and television are powerful mediums and have been instrumental both in perpetuating racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia, as well as breaking ground and helping Americans envision a more equitable world.

    Racism & the Origins of Film

    LGBTQ+ Representation

    The War on Terror & Islamophobia on Screen

    Colorism

    Power of Representation

  • For more than fifty years, YWCA USA has supported the reproductive freedom of all people to make fundamental decisions about whether and when to have children. Abortion bans could push young women out of the workplace and limit their education and careers, with lifelong consequences for themselves and their families.

    Period Poverty

    Sex Education

    Legal Restrictions

    Impact

    Police Violence & Reproductive Justice

Honoring the Work

YWCA Greater Pittsburgh wants to thank and acknowledge Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., Debby Irving, and Dr. Marguerite Penick for their leadership in the field of racial equity as exhibited in their 21 Day Racial Equity and Habit Building Challenge and the movement they helped to initiate. YWCA’s content is independently designed, written, and curated in partnership with YWCA Greater Cleveland staff as part of racial equity and social justice programs offered to the community.