Regis College will kick off a month-long educational campaign that will see the entire university community “watch, read, or do” activities each day of September to be better equipped in its ongoing efforts to end systemic racism.
This “30-day” digital challenge was developed by Denise Mashmasarmi, associate director for the Center for Inclusive Excellence. The recent shooting of Jacob Blake and reinvigorated calls for racial justice demonstrate the urgency for the university community to come to a shared understanding around racial equity. Each day will feature content focused on a different aspect of race, equity, and diversity; from learning about the impacts of bias to having effective conversations about race to educating children about racism.
“The goal of this challenge is to engage the entire Regis community to help grow our individual understanding of race and racism, build our collective knowledge of racial equity, and move from talk to action to address systemic disparities in our work at Regis and beyond,” said Audrey Grace, associate vice president for inclusive excellence and chief diversity officer.
The Center for Inclusive Excellence will post daily activities on its Instagram and Facebook pages. In addition to articles, videos, and speeches to stimulate personal reflection, there will also be community-wide events including a day dedicated to voter registration (September 17), and a live Zoom panel discussion on anti-blackness in academia (September 22).
Some of the content will also be featured in Regis’ annual Founders’ Day program on September 24. This year, Founders’ Day will focus on better understanding the historic context of racism, the structural and systemic injustices of racism, and ways the Regis community can overcome biases and prejudices through continued education and advocacy.
“Regis is committed to addressing systemic racism within our community,” said Regis College President Antoinette Hays, PhD, RN. “This anti-racism challenge is one way our community is coming together to take action and see this through.”
There is no registration to participate in the challenge. Follow @RegisInclusion on Facebook and Instagram to join the challenge and stay up-to-date on each day’s activities. Email inclusiveexcellence@regiscollege.edu with any questions.
