This February, as we recognize Black History Month, we celebrate and reflect upon a rich history of African American culture, innovation, and revolution. Since our founding, YWCA has been at the forefront of the issues that disproportionately affect girls, women, and people of color from voting rights to healthcare to affordable housing.
We work to dismantle systematic racism with more than 160,000 community members involved in programs that tackle racism and prejudice. We know what justice looks like because we get up and do the work in more than 1,200 communities nationwide.
It is through our commitment to civic engagement with initiatives like the YWomenVote2020 Road Tour, our annual Stand Against Racism campaign, and the 2020 Census that we advocate for equal pay, immigration reform, voting rights, and many other issues that impact girls, women, and people of color.
As you will see through the highlights below, our commitment to these issues lives in the soul of everyone at YWCA, because we demand a world of equity and human decency. We envision a world of opportunity. We commit ourselves to the work of justice. Every day, we get and do the work.
Sincerely,
Alejandra Y. Castillo
CEO, YWCA USA
#YWomenVote#YWomenVote Hits the Road The New Hampshire event featured a diverse panel of speakers that engaged in a robust discussion on economic and workplace fairness issues such as paid family and medical leave and other YWomenVote 2020 survey findings. Follow the YWomenVote Road Tour by going to YWomenVote.org. You can also join us in putting the voice of women at the forefront of these critical issues by becoming a YWCA advocate. Check out footage from the event by clicking on the video below. Also, check out our latest blog post and articles on YWomenVote featured in USA Today, Refinery 29, and WMUR 9 New Hampshire.
|
 |
31 Days of Women’s ImpactThis March, in honor of Women’s History Month, we will launch our 31 Days of Women’s Impact Initiative, during which we’ll highlight the achievements of women past and present in a wide range of industries while highlighting how we’re continuing the work of empowering the women of today and tomorrow. Follow along on social media as we celebrate women in law, finance, sports, and more, while empowering women and girls through such programming as trauma-informed care, entrepreneurship, and STEM. #WomensHistoryMonth #31DaysOfWomensImpact
|
 |
#StandAgainstRacismHave you seen our Stand Against Racism ad in USA Today’s Black History Month Special Edition stand-alone publication? The publication will be distributed on newsstands nationally for the entire month of February, right next to the daily USA Today newspaper. Visit StandAgainstRacism.org to learn more about this year’s theme, access tools and resources, register your events, and get more information on how you can get involved with this year’s campaign. Take a moment to sign our pledge to take a stand against racism with YWCA and hundreds of thousands of people across the country during our Stand Against Racism campaign — and every day.
|
|
Organize Your ButterfliesOn our latest podcast, Where in the world!? Exploring Our Global Reach Through the World Service Council, YWCA USA CEO Alejandra Y. Castillo and Carolyn Flowers, Executive Board Member for YWCA World Service Council discuss the importance of giving back to both local and global communities. #YWCAButterflies Check out this Organize Your Butterflies episode and past episodes wherever you subscribe to podcasts, including: |
 |
YWCA Data MapWe are excited to announce the launch of the YWCA Opportunity Zones map! The Opportunity Zones map aims to connect Opportunity Zones stakeholders with YWCAs serving Opportunity Zones residents nationwide by providing key information about the 85 YWCAs headquartered in Opportunity Zones, including YWCA contact information, type of property, lot square footage, and census tract. YWCA USA used a commercial real estate platform, Reonomy, to confirm and supplement these data points. Spread the word about our new Opportunity Zones map on social by sharing our short video infographic with the hashtag #YWCAOZ. If you have any questions about the Opportunity Zones program or the map, please contact Liz Lopez, YWCA USA Senior Director of Social Impact Investing & External Affairs.
|
 |
YWCA Spotlights: The Work We DoThis month, our spotlight is on YWCA Utah for their Real Women Run program. Beginning in 2011, YWCA Utah partnered with several prominent and bi-partisan leaders in the community to create a collaborative, non-partisan program to empower the women of Utah to participate more fully in electoral politics. They host a series of training events where women learn about running for elected office, how to help with campaigns, opportunities to be involved with watchdog organizations, and other ways to engage in government and other decision-making bodies. “Real Women Run has trained more than 2,500 women, reaching half of all Utah counties, since the initiative was founded in 2011,” says Erin Jemison, YWCA Utah’s Director of Public Policy. “In 2018, nearly 30 more women ran for office statewide than the year before, with more than half of them winning their election. In addition, the Real Women Run participants who got involved and ran for office nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018 – and that doesn’t count all of the non-elected leadership roles that we see Utah women stepping into every day.” Learn more about Real Women Run and upcoming events here. |
|
Powering Positive Change: By Eliminating Racism and Empowering WomenThat’s our mission. Every single day, we get up and work hard to advance that reality. YWCA brings positive change to more than two million women and girls in more than 1,200 communities throughout America. We combine programming with advocacy to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, women’s empowerment and economic advantage, and the health and safety of women and girls. But we can’t do this work alone. Please join us as we re-imagine the future for women, girls, and people of color. Please join us so that we can strengthen our network’s infrastructure and unleash innovation, ensuring that YWCA programs are agile and impactful. Because our work won’t be complete until women, girls, and people of color are equal, empowered, and safe.
|
 |
Upcoming Events and Important Date
|
|
Share Our NewsletterKnow someone interested in learning more about our mission to eliminate racism, empower women? Please share our monthly newsletter signup link. Click below to share our newsletter on your social media pages |
|
