Racial and Social Justice Program

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Racial and Social Justice Program

YWCA Central Virginia’s Racial and Social Justice Program’s mission is to eliminate racism wherever it exists and empower women and girls. 

Our intersectional mission to eliminate racism and empower women demands that we recognize our responsibility to use our voice and platform to push for action and long-term legal, economic, and societal change – to forge a more equitable Central Virginia.  YWCA Central Virginia commits ourselves to the ongoing work of confronting our bias as we challenge these systems. We are committed to working on issues of gender equality, economic inequity, and racial disparities among healthcare, housing, employment, and education. We will be a consistently accurate resource of information on racial, ethnic and cultural awareness to promote diversity, equity, and inclusivity throughout Central Virginia. We will continue this work until inequity and racism is eliminated and establishments are challenged and transformed.  

This also means working harder to engage and amplify women of color as voices for solutions, and strengthening partnerships with organizations throughout Central Virginia that do the work against violence and systemic racism, so together we can drive change

Every day, communities of color face the threat of violence and injustice. It is crucial that we recognize that recent events within the last several years are a tangible illustration of daily fears and anxieties for many in our country and in our community. Amidst the tragedy and unrest, we must be even more resolute that justice and equity cannot wait. 

At YWCA Central Virginia, we demand a world of equity and human decency. We envision a world of opportunity. We commit ourselves to the work of racial justice. We will get up and continue to do the work until injustice is rooted out, until institutions are transformed, until the world sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.

Our Legacy

YWCA knows that in order to lead the charge against racism, we must also set the example within our own organization. African American and Native American women have been providing leadership in YWCA’s movement since the 1800s, and because of the leadership of women of color, in 1946 YWCA began working for integration throughout the entire organization, adopting an “interracial charter” that established that “wherever there is injustice on the basis of race, whether in the community, the nation, or the world, our protest must be clear and our labor for its removal, vigorous, and steady.” That work culminated in the addition of the “elimination of racism” to our mission statement in 1970.

Interested?

Find out how you can get involved as we build this program below!  You can also reach out to our Equity Advancement Manager via email (equity@ywcacva.org).

 

Get Involved with our Racial and Social Justice Program!