Sharing the Burden of Racial Equity Work in the Workplace By Lily Eisner, Policy & Program Assistant, YWCA USA I’m going to let you in on an uncomfortable secret: diversity does not spontaneously create racial equity. So often, organizations believe fighting racism in the workplace begins and ends with increasing representation. Unfortunately, this is only… Continue Reading Simply Hiring People of Color Is Not a Racial Equity Strategy

By Natalie Cone, State Advocacy and Civic Engagement Manager, YWCA USA The organizing efforts of women in civic engagement have shaped and strengthened our democracy. From the suffragettes who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment almost 100 years ago to Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker who fought for civil and voting rights… Continue Reading When Women are Civically Engaged, Our Democracy is Stronger

By Asha Kuziwa, Field Organizer, YWCA USA From ending gun violence to combating climate change, young people are leading the way and working to drive real, lasting change in our communities and across the country. Despite this, young people have rarely been included in the conversation around one major, glaring epidemic of our time: ending… Continue Reading Youth LEADS: Working to End Gender-Based Violence Among Youth

For Immediate Release: Nancy Yasharoff nyasharoff@ywca.org | 202.835.2365 Washington, DC, March 19, 2019 – Google.org is awarding $5M to YWCA USA, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and UnidosUS, as part of the company’s larger $25 million commitment in 2019 to increase Black and Latinx students’ access to computer science and artificial intelligence education across the United… Continue Reading YWCA USA Receives Grant from Google to Support Girls in STEM

By Lily Eisner, Policy & Program Assistant, YWCA USA In the middle of a suburban, circular drive the neighborhood kids came together around a small, plastic disc. Here, with our Frisbee, I could run around with the big kids; I could speak up and be heard; I could learn and grow and improve. I remember… Continue Reading The Potential of Ultimate Frisbee for Transformative Justice

By Asha Kuziwa, Field Organizer, YWCA USA The 2019 Women’s March was the first one that I ever attended, and I was unsure of what to expect. I had seen the seas of pink hats. I heard about the initial lack of leadership from women of color and the current concerns around anti-semitism among lead… Continue Reading Women’s March 2019: Leveraging a Moment

By Lily Eisner, Policy & Program Assistant, YWCA USA Today, January 18, 2019, Indigenous people from around the world are joining together in Washington, D.C. to bring awareness to the issues and injustices facing Indigenous individuals, families, communities, and lands. The first-ever Indigenous Peoples March, organized by international grassroots collective Indigenous Peoples Movement, represents incredible… Continue Reading Remember Whose Land You’re On: The 2019 Indigenous People’s Movement

Time and time again, it is women who, when confronted with the gut-wrenching challenges of our time—sexual harassment, racism, economic adversity, and more—find the strength to work relentlessly to move society to a better place. We create real, positive and transformational change through our actions, through our voices, and through our vote. When the powerful… Continue Reading Women Stand In Solidarity: #BelieveSurvivors

  By Saryn Francis, Communications Associate, YWCA USA  August 26th is known to many as Women’s Equality Day, a day that commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment which granted women the right to vote. Although this was a momentous day in women’s history, it is important to recognize that not all women were actually… Continue Reading From Suffrage to a Seat at the Table

By Yanique Bundick, 9th Grader, YWCA Brooklyn LEAD Participant Being a first-generation Haitian American woman, I grew up in a culture and society that constantly reminded that I have to be a “lady” at all times – and most times that meant being seen and not heard. Being part of YWCA Brooklyn has taught me… Continue Reading My Voice Matters—The Importance of Fighting for Change