By Danielle Marse-Kapr, YWCA USA Communications & Marketing Director Growing up, I had the same impression many people have. Men who commit sexual violence are notably bad people. They hang out in back alleys or drug your drink from across the bar. You can spot them in a line up. They aren’t your friends or… Continue Reading No Man is Sacred
We made history last night through our local elections! We are thrilled to see so many “firsts” during this election season, particularly as many of the firsts were women and people of color. This is what progress looks like. This is what representation and an inclusive democracy could look like. The work does not stop… Continue Reading Historic Firsts this Election Day!
By Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO, YWCA USA This week in Seattle, Washington, YWCA USA convened 43 leaders representing 30 YWCAs from around the western U.S. as part of our annual geo-network meeting. By hosting these smaller “geo-networking” meetings in each of our five designated geographic networks, we are bridging the distance between our national and… Continue Reading On A Mission to Build our Collective Impact
By YWCA Alaska October 1st, 2017, was a terror filled night for America. The act of violence that occurred in Las Vegas was undeniably horrific; and sadly, we’ve experienced it before. At YWCA Alaska, we cannot in good conscious ignore this opportunity to address how violence surrounds us, and who most often perpetrates this violence.… Continue Reading On a Mission to End Violence in the Wake of Another Mass Shooting
By Caitlin Lowry, Senior Policy Analyst, YWCA USA Five years ago, I became the victim of a stalker who sent thousands of harassing and threatening messages to my email and across several online platforms. I spent countless hours talking to police, prosecutors, domestic violence advocates, my state delegate, therapists, and doctors; attending court proceedings; and… Continue Reading Refusing Silence
By Lily Eisner, YWCA USA Public Policy & Advocacy Intern, Summer 2017 One day last spring, vandals scrawled messages threatening sexual violence in common areas and stole several pairs of women’s underwear from laundry rooms in a sorority at my school, Dartmouth College. The horrific message shook the entire student body. Copycat messages and thefts began appearing… Continue Reading Taking Campus Sexual Assault Seriously—Always
By Sharon K. Roberson, President & CEO YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee A few months ago, Maria had one arm in a sling, while the other carried her infant baby. The beating from her husband had put her in the hospital, and now that she was being discharged, she couldn’t go home. She had someone… Continue Reading In Our Community: Collaborating to End Domestic Violence
At YWCA, we know that not all violence is acknowledged or responded to equally and that some victims go unrecognized altogether. That’s why for more than 20 years, we have set aside the third week in October as a Week Without Violence to raise awareness around ending violence against women and girls with the World… Continue Reading Take Action: Call on Congress to Work to End Gender-Based Violence
The numbers are staggering. We all already know this. One in four women will become a victim of domestic violence in her lifetime. Every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted. One in three women experience gender-based violence. It is long past time that we change this — and you can help create a culture where gender-based violence… Continue Reading Week Without Violence: Join Us
Last Saturday, YWCA USA was proud to be a sponsor of the March for Black Women and the March for Racial Justice. As our CEO, Alejandra Castillo said in her blog last week, “when women of color lead change, everyone is elevated with us.” This was certainly on display last weekend as thousands of black… Continue Reading Showing Up for Black Women