Texas Christian University (TCU) is promoting the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge during the month of March, while some in the DFW Metroplex have previously expressed opposition to the challenge, protesting a company for allegedly asking their employees to participate in it earlier this year.
Members of Mission: DFW met on the corner of Coit Road and SH 121 in Plano near the end of January to protest the “woke-ism” they claim was taking place at Bank of America (BOA).
“We are protesting Bank of America’s 21-Day Challenge,” said Mission: DFW founder Ethan Sabo. “It’s basically a critical race theory (CRT) education program provided by the United Way. We have a whistleblower within Bank of America, and she’s saying that they’re actually kind of forcing (the classes), so it’s not voluntary.”
Sabo said his source told him that BOA employees who do not voluntarily take the classes are treated less-than-desirably and face possible repercussions. Sabo did not provide the name of his source, and The Dallas Express was unable to independently verify this information.
Last year, various chapters of the United Way organization teamed up with businesses across the country to help host a 21-Day Equity Challenge.
According to a press release, the United Way Worldwide Chapter’s challenge involved nearly 2,000 people from all over the globe, who participated by reading articles, watching videos, or listening to podcasts about race and equity on a daily basis for three weeks. The challenge looked at racism on a variety of levels, from internalized racism to interpersonal racism to institutional and structural racism, intended to highlight ways to stimulate change at each level.
Sabo cited an article by City Journal that claimed BOA was a part of the United Way program. The author of the article, Christopher F. Rufo, wrote, “Earlier this year [2021], Bank of America’s North Carolina and Charlotte market president Charles Bowman announced a new ‘equity’ initiative called United in Action, in partnership with the United Way of Central Carolinas.”
The Dallas Express was not able to find documentation that any Branches of BOA in Texas have asked their employees to participate in the program.
Webster Dictionary defines “woke” as “chiefly US slang” meaning “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).”
Sabo said he feels the term “woke-ism” applies to “people that claim to be like, educated and open about this whole Black Lives Matter, critical race theory [movement], and they pushed [it] on everybody. We’re just trying to stop the woke because woke-ism leads to Marxism.”
“We’re tired of the gaslighting and the virtue signaling from a predominantly white board of trustees and investors,” he added.
Protesters held signs reading “Honk to End CRT” and “Go Woke, Go Broke.” Of the eight Mission: DFW protesters in Plano on January 21, only Sabo was Caucasian.
George Wallace said he was protesting to protect BOA’s non-minority employees, whom he feels are being forced into the classes.
“I don’t think that just a certain race of people should have to take a 21-day course just to maintain their job and [it not be required that] everybody else has to take that course,” he said.
Wallace said his definition of “woke-ism” is people who claim to be “conscious thinkers” but are new to the cause of minority rights and do not understand the history of what they claim to be fighting for or against.
“People are just kind of out here as plight gangsters just fighting for any cause,” Wallace said.
Sabo said he moved to Dallas from Austin because Austin has succumbed to “socialist values,” though he did not explain in what way.
He said part of Mission: DFW’s mission statement is to prevent the same thing from happening in the metroplex.
“[We are] working to take down the corrupt lobbyists, who take money from both sides of the aisle, large Texas-based corporations like AT&T, American Airlines, and McKesson. We will not allow Texas to fall as Austin did. We’re starting at the top when it comes to forcing accountability,” Sabo explained.
Sabo did not specify the particular actions for which his group is demanding these companies take accountability.