SIBA has created this 21-Day Challenge as part of
its commitment to provide anti-racist initiatives and training to its membership. The content has been updated to reflect recent concerns and issues and to make recently created resources available. Even if you have participated in the challenge
in the past, you will find new material available to you this year.
The Challenge will begin on May 6. Each day, participants will be emailed a prompt for reflection, discussion, and action. The prompts will also appear on the Challenge blog, along with more ideas and resources as the Challenge progresses.
The Challenge is divided into three weekly themes:
Week 1: Anti-Racism and You: Dismantling Bias
Week 2: Anti-Racism and Your Bookstore: Dismantling Institutional Bias
Week 3: Anti-Racism and Your Community: Creating an Equitable Society
We call this a "Challenge" because it will be hard work. To make this a success, we recommend keeping in mind these tips:
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Grant yourself extra time to work on each day’s prompt. Each day, there are several points of reflection and possible actions and a list of even more resources to explore further. Set aside 10 minutes for reflection (about
the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee), and block out time during the week to pursue some of the action items.
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Pick and choose the reflections and actions that speak to you. You don’t need to answer every prompt or try to complete every action. Even just one change is a step forward.
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Keep a journal handy to jot down your thoughts and feelings as they occur.
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If possible, find at least one other co-worker to join you in the Challenge and discuss what you are learning. Consider joining SIBA’s Discord Community, where there will be dedicated space and discussions for 21-Day Challenge participants.
The Challenge is an opportunity to apply what you’re learning to your everyday life, but it’s not something that ends after 21 days. Becoming anti-racist is an ongoing process, and this challenge is meant to support you on your ever-evolving journey.
Booksellers already know that books change lives. But it is the people who read them who take what they have learned to change the world. We can't wait to see the changes each of you will make.
More Resources:
Many of the resources referenced in the 21-Day Challenge are also available at the 21-Day Challenge Resource Library
Tomorrow: Wellbeing and Racial Equity Work
SIBA thanks its generous sponsors, who have made the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge possible:
Many of the quotes used in the Challenge are excerpted from Words of Change: Anti-Racism by permission of Sasquatch Books. Copyright 2020 By Kenyra Rankin. All rights reserved.
Although SIBA has modified when appropriate for a bookseller audience, the majority of prompts and resources come directly from the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge created
by Food Solutions New England (FSNE). We are so grateful for their extraordinary work creating this program and making it available to other organizations.
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