By Saida Agostini, Director of Capacity Building, YWCA USA When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. — Audre Lorde When I first read these words in Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider, I just sat the book… Continue Reading When I Dare To Be Powerful

As an organization that has been working for justice for over 160 years, we at YWCA know how important it is to continue having dialogue and building community among those who work for racial justice, and to relentlessly persist in raising awareness about the impact of institutional and structural racism in our communities. That’s why, every… Continue Reading Join Us: Take A Stand Against Racism

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