Blogs

September 15, 2017

We are pleased to share the following YWCA USA updates:

March for Racial Justice: Important Update

YWCA USA is proud to come on board as an enthusiastic supporter of the March for Racial Justice and the March for Black Women on September 30. In a joint statement released yesterday, the march organizers have formally committed to putting gender justice front and center and acknowledging the intersection of gender and race. YWCA USA staff members Donte Hilliard and Samantha Davis have been steering committee members on the March for Racial Justice and have been consistently involved in the planning of the March for Black Women. They contributed to the development of the vision statement and platform, ensuring that women of color remained at the forefront of the collaboration. Following robust involvement and thorough vetting, we are supporting the joint effort of these marches.

As YWCA USA worked on the marches, YWCAs across the country signed on to lead or support local sister marches and some made plans to travel to Washington, D.C. We are especially glad to support the efforts of YWCA National Capital Area. This dynamic YWCA invites any local YWCAs who travel to D.C. for the march to join them on Friday, September 29 at 6 p.m. for a sign-making party at 2303 14th Street NW, Washington, DC. We also invite you to meet up with us the morning of the march at Seward Square on the corner of North Carolina and Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

We encourage folks marching locally to take advantage of these downloadable YWCA rally signs, the press kit from the March for Black Women, and any opportunities to collaborate locally and build new partnerships. Click here to sign up to join us for the march. For questions, you can contact Samantha Davis at sdavis@ywca.org.

Meet Alejandra!

Don't miss your first opportunity to hear from YWCA USA's new CEO, Alejandra Y. Castillo, in an online town hall on Monday, September 18 at 3 p.m. ET. Alejandra will greet YWCA leaders, including a question and answer session. Please register in advance!

Week Without Violence: Registration Open!

We are all looking forward to a robust Week Without Violence this October. Please be sure to register your event so that we can track our national impact and so that you can access all of the great tools and resources available this year. New this year, we are encouraging YWCAs to engage your partners in a similar structure to Stand Against Racism. Expand your local presence by having your partners host events and register to access toolkit materials. Don't miss the orientation webinar on Thursday, September 28 at 2 p.m. ET.

Policy Update

Congress and the Trump Administration remain busy – and so do we! Read the latest in this week's Policy Update.

Hurricane Irma

We are relieved to report that Florida YWCAs fared well overall during the devastating hurricane last weekend. YWCA Palm Beach suffered some damage to their facility, but they have been able to relocate residents in the interim.

YWCA USA Statements

This week we released a statement affirming our continued support of gains made with the Affordable Care Act and raising criticisms of the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson legislation which was receiving attention this week.

Important Dates

• September 18 at 3 p.m. ET: Meet Alejandra Y. Castillo, YWCA USA's new CEO in an online town hall.
• September 28 at 2 p.m. ET: Week Without Violence orientation webinar
• YWCA 101, an introductory webinar to the YWCA USA, will be offered on September 19, October 24, and November 28. Register your staff, volunteers and board.
• October 16 – 20: 2017 Week Without Violence

Questions about what you read today? Contact communications@ywca.org.