My goal as a staff member of YWCA Princeton and a member of the YWCA Princeton's NEXT GEN Board is to stay accountable and engaged in our work in eliminating racism and empowering women. I'm participating in order to "walk the walk" but more importantly to walk the talk. In addition to raising funds that will support program participants in need, I will be listening to audiobooks on anti-racism work during my walks throughout the event.
For resources to #StandAgainstRacism visit our website: https://www.ywcaprinceton.org/homepage/signature-events/stand/
To learn more about our programs and how they reflect our mission: https://www.ywcaprinceton.org/about/mission-vision/
Here is some examples of our recent advocacy work:
- White privilege workshop presented by world-renowned racial literacy educator Layla Saad
- Summer reading series by racial literacy educator Rachel Cargle
- Screening of "When they See Us" with discussions lead by racial literacy educator, Dr. Joy Barnes Johnson
- Screening of "13th" by Ava DuVernay about the prison industrial complex and its roots in slavery
- Advocating for restoration of Voting Rights for individuals who have served their sentences, leading to the restoration of these rights for 83,000 mostly black and brown individuals throughout New Jersey
- Signed a letter asking our legislators to block the acquisition of military-grade weaponry for the police in our area. (Militarization of the police force leads to more violence against black and brown bodies.)
- Participate in the Complete Count Commission for the US Census. Communities of color are often undercounted in the census. The census is key to ensuring racial justice, as it is used to decide funding for schools, health and human services, transportation, and infrastructure that are essential to flourishing communities. Perhaps most importantly - it is used to decide the number of delegates that represent us in government.
- Advertised and participated in George Floyd protests in Newark and Princeton.
- Together with over 200 YWCAs nationwide, we signed an appeal to pass the Justice in Policing Act that is currently on the table in the legislature.
- Cosponsored this year's Juneteenth celebration in Princeton.
- Co-sponsored workshops partner organizations to further the cause of racial justice in our community.
