Bank of America, Lowe's sponsored CRT training urging Whites to 'cede power to people of color'

Bank of America, Lowe's sponsored CRT training urging Whites to 'cede power to people of color'<br />United Way training urged employees to get 'woke at work'<br /><br /><br />Bank of America, Lowe's, and Truist Financial Corporation sponsored a United Way critical race theory "Racial Equity 21-Day Challenge" claiming that America is systemically and institutionally racist, encouraging participants to "decolonize [their] mind[s]" and to get "woke at work," and urging white people to "cede power to people of color."<br /><br />Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, first revealed the critical race theory challenge, presenting documents he obtained from a whistleblower. Rufo reported that Bank of America encouraged North Carolina employees to undertake the "Racial Equity 21-Day Challenge," but support for the critical race theory training extended far beyond that Bank of America branch.<br /><br />In December 2020, United Way of Central Carolinas issued a press release announcing the challenge. <br /><br />"Black and Brown people continue to face tremendous obstacles to achieve economic mobility across our country and here in the Charlotte region. This project allows each of us to examine the systems and policies that have historically disadvantaged those populations and benefitted others," United Way of Central Carolinas President and CEO Laura Yates Clark said in a statement.<br /><br />Truist Financial Corporation, Lowe's, and Bank of America served as "presenting sponsors and equity champions" for the challenge, while Ally Financial, Atrium Health, Duke Energy, and McGuireWoods joined the effort as "equity ally sponsors." Ernst & Young, First National Bank, Gambrell Foundation, Grant Thornton, and Knight Foundation joined the effort as "equity partner sponsors."<br /><br />"All sponsors have the opportunity to share the Racial Equity 21-Day Challenge activity with their employees to encourage participation," the United Way press release explained.<br /><br />The whistleblower who sent Ruf