United Way of Rhode Island’s mission is uniting our community and resources to build racial equity and opportunities for all Rhode Islanders. Our Equity Challenge is designed to help individuals and organizations engage with topics surrounding equity. This year’s topics included Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, Advocacy, and being an Accomplice.
Equity Challenge 2024 launched on June 19 (Juneteenth) and lasted seven days. This year’s challenge was shorter than previous years’ and required a daily time commitment of 30 minutes. Each day, we offered three activities that participants could read, listen to, or view. We also offered three curated pop-up experiences for folks seeking in-person connection. These experiences included panel discussions with topic experts and other interactive opportunities.
All elements of Equity Challenge 2024 were designed to reduce physical and systemic barriers. It was offered at no cost, and all activities were available to anyone with an internet connection and a smart device. A total of 1,388 individuals participated in the challenge.
Organizations who engaged at least 75% of their employees earned an Equity Challenge Champion certificate. 53 organizations participated in the challenge and, of these, 16 earned certificates. These certificates are a tangible recognition that they have moved beyond buzzwords and into living the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Organizations also received a digital badge to showcase on their website, across social media, and in email signatures.
In addition, Brown University Health (formerly Lifespan Health System) earned the Trailblazer in Equity Award. We are grateful to them for encouraging their thousands of employees to take part in Equity Challenge 2024.
Interested in joining Equity Challenge 2025? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok. You will be the first to know when registration opens!