21-Day Equity Challenge and Me

At top, my dad, Emery Cox, and me, in 1975 in Tipton, Iowa. We had several discussions on race in those days. Above, the baby is my father, born in 1916 and 14 days old, held by his nanny.

George Floyd's death in Minneapolis appalled many Americans. It was of course recorded on cell phone video and was a clear, sickening example of police power gone awry.

That incident hit home to this blogger in rural Scott County, Iowa. I was born in Minneapolis in 1957 and raised in the suburbs. My beloved grandfather, Eugene William Hebner, was born and raised in North Minneapolis, in the 1890s.

Both parts of Minneapolis were sites of protests, mostly peaceful but also violent in some cases. I was among the Americans watching, aghast at times, and wondering, "What can I do?" "How can I help impact change?"

One answer came last summer when the United Way of the Quad-Cities announced the 21-day Equity Challenge. So what is this Challenge, exactly? Find the link online: www.unitedwayqc.org/equity-challenge

It was originally developed in 2014 by Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., Dr. Marguerite Penick-Parks and Debby Irving. It has been adopted in other parts of America. Locally the task force includes Dr. Randolph Burl, Brandy Donaldson, Alfred Ramirez, Kelly Thompson and Jabari Woods. 

Here is part of the information provided:

* For 21 days, participants receive an email. It includes suggestions for readings, podcasts, videos, observations and ways to form and deepen community connections and understanding.

Note: On the first day I watched an excellent YouTube video. It was a TED-X youth talk, "Growing Pains" from Lily Chen, Nina Lanciloti and Nia Walker, all from Davenport Central High School. The students used the spoken word style to communicate a riveting message. Find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqxX4gEoyCY

* Participants are challenged to do one action to further their knowledge about the disparities in the Quad-Cities and the understanding of the power, privilege, supremacy, oppression and equity.

* The daily Plan includes reading, listening, watching and connecting resources.

The studies I read Monday concerned how a human's knowledge of race develops through a lifetime.

* The resources enlighten the values at stake, the problem, examples of solutions and options for taking action.

I anticipate learning more about race relations. My introduction to Black people came early in life, when my Dad, a native of Virginia, showed me photos of when he had a nanny. She was Black and he loved her dearly. 

As a teenager in the 1970s my Dad and I lived in Tipton, Iowa, which had no Black residents. I would challenge his views of race; he told me I did not understand because I did not come from the South. That did make some sense to a teenager in small-town Iowa.

Later I did meet Black friends at Iowa State University in Ames. We were on The Iowa State Daily newspaper staff and in other college positions.

My career of newspaper journalism expanded my understanding of minorities. This was especially true in the 30-plus years at the Quad-City Times in Davenport. Black colleagues included a favorite pod-mate Nicole (who now lives in Minneapolis), Scott, Jae, Bill and others.

Lately, Times reporter Alma Gaul has written about the Equity Challenge. She took it several weeks ago, and wrote about how she has learned a great deal. 

This week Gaul wrote on how an Augustana College English professor, David Crowe, was also affected by the George Floyd event and by her stories on the Equity Challenge. As a result he shuffled the books he would teach in his Contemporary Literature class to add newer ones like "Sing, Unburied, Sing" by Jesmyne Ward, a National Book Award winner. 

I thought I knew about something about race, until last summer. Now I realize: There is so much yet to learn!