YWCA Metro St. Louis, YWCA Alton and the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis are sponsoring The Challenge, which aims to encourage better understanding of the issues surrounding race, power, privilege and leadership, and to do so in a way that builds a habit of learning by stretching the experience over 21 days.

The free, virtual event kicks off with a Stand Against Racism town hall meeting at noon Thursday, April 22 on Zoom. Karla Scott, St. Louis University professor and author of “The Language of Strong Black Womanhood: Myths, Models and Messages and a New Mandate for Self Care,” is the keynote speaker. Dorothy Hummel, executive director of YWCA Southwestern Illinois, will serve as moderator.

Other speakers include Alyssa Banford, director of civic engagement at JCRC; Ida Casey, 21-Day Challenge coordinator, and Sheila Davis, a Head Start manager with YWCA.

“Science tells us that it takes 21 days of doing something consistently to form a habit. The 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge asks participants to make daily time and space to build more effective social justice habits,” said YWCA St. Louis CEO Adrian Bracy in a statement. “They will receive a task every day, like watch this podcast or read this article. Then a facilitated group discussion will take place every Friday to review the week’s materials.”

Every week will focus on a different topic: The Value Gap (week one), Systemic Racism and Voting Laws (week two), The Racial Wealth Gap (week three), and Disparities in HealthCare and Mental Wellness (week four). The challenge wraps on Day 21 with a Disparities in Education Call to Action forum.

For more information or to register for the kickoff or the challenge, visit ywcastl.org.