The University of Colorado Leeds MBA Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee invites you to participate in a racial equity habit-building challenge to celebrate Black History Month. The #BeTheChange Challenge includes daily engagement with music, articles, podcasts, and films to learn about current and historical issues of racial inequity and ways to be part of the solution.
About the Challenge
During the daily #BeTheChange Challenge, we will explore articles, podcasts, music, movies, and books on topics including mass incarceration, reconstruction, lethal force in policing, climate justice, arts and the disproportionate impact of COVID on Black businesses. We will also have a self-paced book club within our respective teams reading How to Be an Anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi.
How the Challenge Works
- Participate for as many days as you can. We challenge you to complete any 7, 14, or 21 days.
- Participate individually or as a team.
- Use a virtual background honoring an influential leader in the Black community or an unarmed victim of lethal force by police.
- Consider supporting local Black owned businesses.
You’ll find the information for the daily tasks below including links to all content for that day.
Day 1 (2/1/2022)
Activity – Music
Selection – Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing
Description – Listen to the African American National Anthem. Set your zoom background to the African American individual you are honoring.
Length – 7 min.
Topic – Freedom Music
Day 2 (2/2/2022)
Activity – Read
Selection – 44 African Americans who Shook Up the World
Description – Explore a list of 44 African Americans who shook up the world to learn something new about someone you have heard of, or to learn about someone completely new.
Length – 15-30 min.
Topic – Black influential contemporary and historical leaders
Day 3 (2/3/2022)
Activity – Share
Selection – Courageous Coffee Chat
Description – Contact 2-3 friends and invite them to join you in the challenge.
Length – 15 min.
Day 4 (2/4/2022)
Activity – Read
Selection – Read and discuss with a friend
Description – Read ‘We Are Making Up For Lost Time’: Tracking Little-Known Stories Of African American, LGBTQ And Women’s Colorado History.”
Length – 30 min.
Day 5 (2/5/2022)
Activity – Read
Selection – Clara Brown’s Story
Description -Read about how Clara Brown left her life in slavery and became one of the first African-American women to settle in Colorado
Length -20 min.
Topic – Slavery, freedom, business
Day 6 (2/6/2022)
Activity – Learn
Selection – Power of Collective Memory
Description – Listen to Nikole Hannah-Jones on the power of collective memory
Length – 50 min.
Topic – Implicit Bias
Day 7 (2/7/2022)
Activity – Read
Selection – The Last Years of James P. Beckwourth (pg134 to 140)
Description – Read ‘The Last Years of James P. Beckswourth,’ who is credited for discovering the Beckswourth Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Length – 45 min.
Topic – Black History
Day 8 (2/8/2022)
Activity – Listen
Selection – The ‘double edged sword’ of being Black first
Description – Tomiko Brown-Nagin, author of Civil Rights Queen, talks about her new biography about Constance Baker Motley
Length – 34 min.
Topic – Black History
Day 9 (2/9/2022)
Activity – Discuss and listen
Selection – #BeTheChange Discussion
Description – Sign up for the discussion put together by the Cu Boulder Diversity & Ethics Center
Length – 6:30-7:30pm MT.
Topic – Black History
Day 9 (2/10/2022)
Activity – Discuss and listen
Selection – #BeTheChange Discussion
Description – Attend the discussion put together by the Cu Boulder Diversity & Ethics Center
Length – 6:30-7:30pm MT.
Topic – Black History
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