Take the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge

The State Bar of Nevada invites attorneys to join other lawyers across the nation in participating in the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge.

What is the 21-Day Challenge?

Done individually and at your own pace, the 21-Day Challenge guides participants through a professionally curated list of reading and viewing recommendations designed to help augment one’s awareness, empathy, compassion and determination to stand for racial equality.

The recommended assignments are short, typically taking 15-20 minutes each day. The list includes media focused on the Black American experience, with perspectives on Black history, identity and culture, but it also specifically includes perspectives from Black lawyers in America, as well as assignments that explore how lawyers of all races can and must share in the work of bringing greater racial equity to the profession of law.

How do I participate?

The 21-Day Challenge is a personal experience. To participate, simply check the assignment list below and read or watch the recommended content.

For more information about the history, creation and goals of the challenge, visit the ABA’s 21-Day Challenge website.

The 21-Day Challenge Assignment List:

Day 1: Read New York Times Article

• Nikole Hannah-Jones, America Wasn’t a Democracy, Until Black Americans Made It One, The New York Times (Aug. 14, 2019)

Day 2: Read New Yorker Article

• Waldman, Katy, Sociologist Examines the “White Fragility” That Prevents White Americans from Confronting Racism, New Yorker (Jul. 23, 2018)

Day 3: Read Bloomberg Law Article

• Cooper, Perry, Black Clerks ‘Like Unicorns’ at Court Without Judges Like Them, Bloomberg Law (Jul. 7, 2020)

Day 4: Watch Ted Talk

• Thurston, Bartunde, How To Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time, Ted Talk (Jun. 26, 2019)

Day 5: Read ABA Journal Article

• Weiss, Debra Cassens, Majority of Minority Female Lawyers Consider Leaving Law; ABA Study Explains Why, ABA Journal (Jun. 22, 2020)

Day 6: View Buzzfeed Picture Gallery

• Ali Vingiano, 63 Black Harvard Students Share Their Experiences In A Powerful Photo Project, BuzzFeed (March 3, 2014)

Day 7: Watch Ted Talk

• Megan Ming Francis, Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice, TED Talks (March 21, 2016)

Day 8: Read National SEED Project Paper

• McIntosh, Peggy, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, The National SEED Project

Day 9: Read Article from The Guardian

• Leigh Donaldson, “When the media misrepresents black men, the effects are felt in the real world,” The Guardian (Aug. 12, 2015)

Day 10: Read Law.com Post

• Jackson, Dylan, ‘It Could Have Been Me’: Black Attorneys Reflect on George Floyd’s Death and What Comes Next, Law.com (Jun. 3, 2020)

Day 11: Read Harvard Business Law Article

• Melaku, Tselade M., Why Women and People of Color in Law Still Hear “You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer,” Harvard Business Review (Aug. 7, 2019)

Day 12: Watch Ted x Video

• Austin, Curtis, Black Panthers, White Lies, Ted x Ohio State University (Apr. 6, 2016)

Day 13: Read Atlantic Article

• Kendi, Ibram X., Who Gets to Be Afraid in America, The Atlantic (May 12, 2020)

Day 14: Listen to Seeing White Podcast

• John Biewen, Seeing White (14-part series podcast, 2017), S2 E2: How Race Was Made

Day 15: Read Harvard Business Review Article

• Banks, Kira Hudson & Richard Harvey, Is Your Company Actually Fighting Racism, or Just Talking About It?, Harvard Business Review (Jun. 11, 2020)

Day 16: Read Article from Yale Insights

• Kraus, Michael, W., How White Managers Can Respond to Anti-Black Violence, Yale Insights (Jun. 1, 2020)

Day 17: Read Article from the Harvard Business Review

• Auger-Dominguez, Daisy, Getting Over Your Fear of Talking About Diversity, Harvard Business Review (Nov. 8, 2019)

Day 18: Read CNN Article

• Rogers, Kristen, Dear Anti-Racist Allies: Here’s How To Respond To Microaggressions, CNN (Jun. 6, 2020)

Day 19: Read Everyday Feminism Article

• Finch, Sam Dylan, 9 Phrases Allies Can Say When Called Out Instead of Getting Defensive, Everyday Feminism (May 29, 2017)

Day 20: Watch Short Animated Film “Hair Love”

• Hair Love, Oscar®-Winning Short Film (Full), Sony Pictures Animation, YouTube (Dec. 5, 2019)

Day 21: Listen to On the Media Podcast

• Who is “Karen” and Why Does She Keep Calling the Police on Black Men?, On the Media (Podcast) (May 29, 2020)

Additional Recommended Media:

• Foster, Sarah, Combating the Racial Wealth Gap: 7 Money Moves for People of Color, BankRate.com (Aug. 4, 2021)
• McWilliams, James, Bryan Stevenson on What Well-Meaning White People Need to Know About Race, Pacific Standard (Feb. 18, 2019)
• Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Case for Reparations, The Atlantic (May 21, 2014)
  • Listen to audio version of this article
• Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta, How Do We Change America?, The New Yorker (Jun. 8, 2020)
• Badger, Emily, Claire Cain Miller, Adam Pearce & Kevin Quealy, Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys, New York Times (Mar. 19, 2018)
• Prophete, Donald, A Note to GCs From a Black Partner: Here Are Actionable Steps for You to Show That Black Lawyers Matter, Law.com (Jun. 24, 2020)
• Silverman, Erica, ‘It’s Like a War’: The Fight Against Big Law’s Complacency on Diversity, The American Lawyer (Jul. 2, 2020)
• Roberts, Laura Morgan & Anthony J. Mayo, Toward a Racially Just Workplace, Harvard Business Review (Nov. 2019)
• John Biewen, Seeing White (14-part series podcast, 2017), S2 E14: Transformation (44 minutes, 10 seconds)