By Tara Peterson, CEO, YWCA Glendale and Pasadena As a Black woman who has spent most of her career working for and leading social justice organizations, I have always envisioned that I would work in a diverse and progressive community. Inspired by the dual mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, five years ago, I… Continue Reading Building a Culture of Solidarity in a former “Sundown Town”
By Barb Solish, Director of Youth and Young Adult Initiatives, National Alliance on Mental Illness We are more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended life as we knew it and caused a generation of Americans to miss out on milestones and activities such as prom, sports, and graduation. As many transition to… Continue Reading Supporting Our Young People During Mental Health Awareness Month and Beyond
Year-round, YWCA demands justice and provides support to diverse communities across the country with the vision of forging a world where women, girls, and people of color can thrive. Observances such as Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month allow us to celebrate, reflect, and uplift one of the unique communities close to our hearts.… Continue Reading A Story of Empowerment, Education, & Advocacy: How YWCA Supports AAPI Communities
by Glenda Mathis, CEO, YWCA of Lubbock In the last few decades, women have broken barriers in nearly every field and there has been real progress in the opportunities women found to prove that they have every bit of competence, courage, commitment, and contribution necessary to give the nation’s economy a stronger workforce. So what… Continue Reading Taking Action to Support Child Care Providers on National Provider Appreciation Day
A Q&A with Dr. Cynthia Langtiw, Clinical Psychologist and Professor, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology This year, as a part of our Stand Against Racism campaign, YWCA focused our efforts around the theme, From Declarations to Change: Addressing Racism as a Public Health. Public health is, and always has been, central to racial justice… Continue Reading Why It’s Important to Address Racism as a Public Health Crisis
On April 20, 2021, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges for the death of George Floyd. Elisha Rhodes, Interim CEO and COO, has issued the following statement in response. “The conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 killing of George Floyd is an indication that… Continue Reading YWCA USA Statement on the Conviction of Derek Chauvin
by Melissa Gilliam, YWCA USA Policy & Advocacy Assistant As we close out Women’s History Month, women and marginalized communities continue to face countless challenges that started before the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges include inadequate access to affordable childcare, gender-based violence, and racial and gender wage gaps, which were exacerbated by the hardships brought on… Continue Reading Shining a Light on How the American Rescue Plan Supports Women
Last Thursday, we partnered with Secret Deodorant in the release of the #SecretSuperheroMom campaign video series, which shares true, heartfelt stories of moms from YWCA Local Associations who are holding their families and communities together during the pandemic. About 90% of moms worry they are not doing a good enough job, but 97% of kids… Continue Reading We’re Joining Forces with Secret Deodorant to Raise It Up for Secret Superhero Moms
Whether it be in the big city, rural towns, or your own local neighborhood, women are changing our communities and our world. Today, in honor of International Women’s Day, it is essential for us to shine a light on how YWCA is not only impacting women in the United States, but internationally. World YWCA is… Continue Reading YWCA Empowering Women Across the Globe
In the last year, our nation experienced great civil unrest which focused our collective consciousness on police violence and the ensuing protests shed light on the murders of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, among many other Black people. These deaths were unacceptable and avoidable, but they only represent a small portion of the myriad… Continue Reading The Current State of Black Women, Police Violence, and What We Are Doing About It