January 18, 2019  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,… Continue Reading Remember Whose Land You’re On: The 2019 Indigenous People’s Movement

January 18, 2019  For Immediate Release: The federal government shutdown that has been in effect since December is now the longest and costliest in history. The consequences of this shutdown are broad and deep. Impacted workers and families across the country are struggling to pay their bills, put food on the table, purchase needed medications,… Continue Reading End the Shutdown: Stop Hurting Women and Families

December 19, 2018  For Immediate Release: YWCA USA 30, Young-Professional DACA Recipients from Across the Country Receive Intensive, Year-Round Leadership Training to Maximize Impact in Community and United States Washington, DC – YWCA USA will join Trinity University and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) in supporting a new, year-round, intensive leadership institute exclusively for DACA recipients called… Continue Reading YWCA USA Supports the DREAM LEAD Institute with Trinity University and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation

November 7, 2018  Statement from YWCA USA on the outcome of the 2018 midterm elections Washington, D.C. — Last night was a historic election night, with record-breaking victories from women and people of color both on the ballot and in voter turnout. An unprecedented number of women ran in the 2018 midterm elections, many for the first… Continue Reading A historic election: Record wins for women, women of color

October 29, 2018  The following is a joint statement from YWCA USA and YWCA Greater Pittsburgh Board of Directors and Senior Leadership: We continue to offer our sincerest condolences to the individuals, families, friends, neighbors, and loved ones affected by the tragedy in Pittsburgh this past weekend. We offer our full support to the Jewish… Continue Reading YWCA Statement on the Mass Shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue

October 1, 2018  Economic Concerns, Gender- and Race-Based Discrimination and Sexual Harassment, Healthcare, and Gun Violence Top the List October 1, 2018 Washington, D.C. — Today, YWCA USA launched its report, What Women Want 2018, a new national survey of American women commissioned by the organization to identify women’s public policy priorities. The survey is part of YWCA’s newly-launched civic engagement… Continue Reading YWCA USA Unveils Key Findings on Women’s Priorities During Critical GOTV Period

October 9, 2018  Washington, DC, October 9, 2018 – The Coco-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, is awarding a $500,000 grant to YWCA USA to help women overcome barriers to starting, growing, and sustaining businesses while providing women with educational tools that will increase the knowledge and confidence of women entrepreneurs. As part… Continue Reading YWCA USA Receives $500K Grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation to Support Women’s Entrepreneurship

July 26, 2018  Washington, D.C. (July 26, 2018) — Today, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) introduced the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) (H.R. 6545). This legislation includes key enhancements to VAWA to help ensure critical protections and access to resources for all survivors. The 2018 VAWA reauthorization bill makes modest improvements, including increasing funding for rape… Continue Reading YWCA USA urges the immediate reauthorization of VAWA

July 9, 2018  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Washington, D.C. (July 9, 2018) — Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO of YWCA USA, issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court: “Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court would be a huge blow to hard-won progress that has been… Continue Reading YWCA USA strongly opposes the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for U.S. Supreme Court

September 23, 2018  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.… Continue Reading Women Stand In Solidarity: #BelieveSurvivors

September 10, 2018  For Immediate Release: Contact: Tiffany Wang Statement by YWCA USA CEO Alejandra Y. Castillo: “The recent horrifying allegations of sexual abuse, harassment, and intimidation against Les Moonves and CBS is just the latest case of powerful men exploiting their authority and being protected at the expense of women and survivors. We stand… Continue Reading YWCA USA statement on Les Moonves: We stand with survivors

August 27, 2018  WOMN ETF uses capital markets to further YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women WASHINGTON D.C. / CHICAGO – August 27, 2018 – Today, Impact Shares and YWCA USA launch a first-of-its-kind ETF on the NYSE for investors to take action in the women’s empowerment movement. The WOMN ETF allows investors to… Continue Reading Impact Shares and YWCA Launch Women’s Empowerment ETF on NYSE

August 29, 2018  Donte Hilliard, YWCA USA YWCA USA in partnership with Centene Corporation, has undertaken a three-year project to research, develop, and pilot a new program with a unique approach to addressing long-term wellness outcomes, Young Women Choosing Action. The project is supported by funding from the Centene Foundation. In the first year, the project… Continue Reading YWCA USA Partners with Centene Corporation to Develop Teen Wellness Program

August 24, 2018  Source: Time Magazine   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… Continue Reading From Suffrage to a Seat at the Table

July 24, 2018  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… Continue Reading My Voice Matters—The Importance of Fighting for Change

July 12, 2018  Last week, YWCA USA, YWCA Lincoln, and YWCA Lower Cape Fear joined nearly half a million Black women in all their beauty and diversity in New Orleans for the largest ever Essence Festival. We were thrilled to launch a partnership with Essence’s Path to Power activation to highlight the important work our YWCAs do across the country to empower women, particularly women of… Continue Reading Not a Moment, but a Movement: YWCA’s Impact at Essence Fest 2018

July 11, 2018  By Dominique Cravins, student, YWCA USA Mission Impact intern Growing up, my parents instilled in me the history and importance of voting. My parents lovingly explained that voting was a great responsibility, as women and minorities were not always allowed to vote. Understanding this history, impacted and shaped the way I viewed… Continue Reading #YourVoteMatters: The Importance of the Ballot

June 28, 2018  On Saturday, June 30, YWCA and many other organizations will be gathering in Washington, D.C. and communities across the country to say that families belong together and free – and to demand that this administration reunite families immediately and end family separation and detention. We encourage you to join us and hundreds of thousands of others as we… Continue Reading Families Belong Together and Free

June 20, 2018  “Donde esta mi mamita? Donde esta mi tia? Dile que me portare bien.” “Where is my mommy? Where is my aunt? Tell her I’ll be good!” By Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO, YWCA USA Be deeply troubled by the mishandling of children. For trauma, by definition, may prevent them from remembering everything, but… Continue Reading Families Belong Together: Stop Traumatizing Children

June 14, 2018  Just last week, YWCA USA hosted our biennial Leadership & Capacity Building Institute (LCBI) conference in San Antonio, Texas, welcoming over two hundred YWCA leaders from across the country for four days of trainings, panel discussions, and more. Together, we focused on engaging and addressing some of the many critical issues that… Continue Reading A Look Back at Our 2018 Leadership & Capacity Building Institute

May 29, 2018  By Debbie Johnson, Development Coordinator, YWCA New Hampshire I recently had to have a hard conversation with my ten-year-old daughter. She was working on an “Images of Greatness” project for her Key Club and chose to profile Coco Chanel. During her research, she discovered that Coco was rumored to be a Nazi… Continue Reading The Time Is Now To Talk About White Privilege

May 18, 2018  By Sarah Wolf-Knight, YWCA Dayton Grants & Advocacy Manager I was lucky enough to be chosen as a delegate to the 2018 United State of Women Summit (USOW) with support from YWCA USA. As I sat through the speaking presentations at USOW, I was struck by the level of representation achieved in the… Continue Reading Smash Every Glass Ceiling: Reflections on USOW

May 17, 2018  By Joan Ryan, Women’s Wellness Manager, YWCA Alaska It was Saturday, May 5th, at 6:30 in the morning when I joined the different YWCA delegates at the lobby of the Hotel Figueroa in Los Angeles. It was as great start because I was so glad to meet other YWCA leaders from around… Continue Reading My Time at USOW 2018

By Desiré Bennett, Advocacy Manager, YWCA Greater Cincinnati I stealthily slipped into the cavernous Shrine Auditorium about 20 minutes before it flooded with hordes of more than 6,000 other anxious women and girls (and some men) eager to score good seats. The auditorium was abuzz with stage hands, sound technicians, and musical talent running a… Continue Reading It Starts with US!

Pass the Dream Act – Not Because of Our Productivity Value But Because Dreamers are Human Beings By Citlaly Mora, Senior Director for Women’s Resource Center and Latino Family Center, YWCA High Point On a day to day basis, I work with women, immigrants, and the Latinx population in High Point, a rural city in North… Continue Reading Pass the Dream Act

These letters were written specifically for North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis as part of a public hearing hosted by a grassroots group, Siembra NC in High Point, NC. Siembra NC is an immigrant-led group comprised of undocumented immigrants, among them local DACA recipients. These activists are asking for an opportunity to talk with their Senator… Continue Reading Letters to Congress from Dreamers in our Community

By Catherine Beane, Vice President, Advocacy and Public Policy, YWCA USA When the youngest of my four sons was born, everything seemed just fine. He was healthy and vivacious. Cute-as-a-bug’s-ear with all his fingers and toes. And his smile and happy baby sounds were a delight to his older brothers. While the first few years… Continue Reading The Affordable Care Act: A Lifeline for Families

  At YWCA, we’ve been working for justice for 160 years. While we’re not new to this work, we also know that we are experiencing a watershed moment in the fight for racial justice. As civil rights continue to be eroded for women, people of color, and other marginalized communities, civic engagement has become even more… Continue Reading Join Us In Taking A Stand Against Racism

YWCA USA is proud to support the incredible student movement against gun violence that is taking our nation by storm, and will mark the landmark March for Our Lives this Saturday, March 24 (the same day as our foremother, YWCA champion and civil right leader Dr. Dorothy I. Height’s birthday!) We encourage you to join us and hundreds of… Continue Reading March for Our Lives: Centering Youth of Color