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FEBRUARY 24 - 28, 2025

The Intersection of Racism & Classism

Too often, Black identity is positioned as antagonistic to lower-income white and non-Black communities. As allies, it is up to us to dispel this harmful zero-sum narrative and examine the interplay of class and race.  We will learn the roles that race has impacted and continues to impact Black wealth and the ways that class mobility has been systemically and systematically denied to Black folks.
This free course serves as an inclusive space for individuals from all backgrounds to come together and engage in meaningful dialogue, learning, and self-reflection. Participants will not only gain a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by Black individuals but explore practical strategies to offer support and interrupt patterns of stigmatization. By actively engaging in this course, participants become catalysts for social justice, promoting inclusivity, equality, and dignity for all. 
Please remember that the Allyship Institute is structured as a “choose your own adventure:” select one or two resources per day. You are not expected to read/watch/listen to every resource, though you are encouraged to bookmark them for future learning.   

COURSE OVERVIEW

The following schedule is the property of YWCA McLean County and it not to be duplicated or used without the express permission of the event organizer.

Items preceded by LIVE indicate real-time trainings or meetings; other materials are meant to be enjoyed at your convenience each day.  

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24

LIVE | In the Beginning...
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. via Zoom

We will kick off the Institute by unpacking how slavery and Jim Crow laws were and remain linked to white class advancement and notions of success. We exist in a zero-sum economic landscape where the gains of one group are often coded as the losses of another. This ideology, coupled with aggressive anti-Black racism, led to the burning of Black Wall Street and discriminatory processing of the GI Bill.

Watch: Racial Segregation and Concentrated Poverty: The History of Housing in Black America (6 min)
Read: Black Wall Steet (10 min)
Read: Not all WWII Veterans Benefitted Equally from the G.I. Bill (5 min)
Listen: “The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street” (25 min) by HISTORY This Week (also on Spotify or Apple)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Please be advised that the use of profanity or any slurs in the materials do not reflect the views of YWCA and are only present at the discretion of the respective creators of each resource.
Deliberate use of profanity and racial slurs will result in removal from interactive discussion groups within the Allyship Institute.

We invite people of all backgrounds, professions, and experience levels to join us for a week-long interactive, virtual learning experience to be better allies.

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