Advocacy

Driving change, from the workplace to Washington.

YW Boston knows that change happens at many levels, which is why we work to advance bills and legislation that support our work to create more inclusive environments for women, people of color, and especially women of color. While we’re working to equip organizations with the skills needed to build inclusive workplaces, we’re also reducing barriers to equity by pushing for legislative change.

Our advocacy initiatives are driven by the YW Boston Advocacy Committee, a group of volunteers who work to build coalitions with like-minded organizations, drive policy change, and influence legislative initiatives. Our work is included under our 501(c)3, which means we do not endorse candidates, and we are nonpartisan in the policies that we take on.

Our areas of priority

Our advocacy work centers around issues and legislation that support our mission, including reproductive freedom, childcare, pay equity, and more. Here are the areas where we are currently working to advocate for changes in legislative policy:

Education
and Childcare

Nursery children playing with teacher in the classroom

YW Boston believes that investing in diversity, inclusion, and equity as a workforce starts with our education system. This system impacts our children and our childcare workers. The COVID-19 crisis has  shone a harsh light on the existing inadequacies of access, availability, and quality childcare in our Commonwealth and city. This is an issue that disproportionately impacts women and women of color.

  • "Common Start Coalition"

    An Act providing affordable and accessible high-quality early education and care to promote child development and well-being and support the economy in the Commonwealth

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  • "Campaign Funds for Childcare"

    An Act supporting parents running for public office

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Civil Rights
and Racial Justice

Protest or public demonstration, focus on microphone, blurred crowd of people in the background

Our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women demands a commitment to diverse and equitable leadership in our organizations and government. Additionally, we stand against discriminatory practices that oppress people of color, women, and women of color in the Commonwealth. This includes a commitment to voting rights and access, the prioritization of diverse leadership, and equity at all levels of government.

YW Boston will continue to support legislation and work with coalitions to address the systemic racism that permeates our educational and judicial systems as it relates to young girls and women of color. The intersectionality of gender and race is not effectively addressed in public policy, and COVID-19 has further exacerbated these disparities. The committee intends to support legislation around dismantling the school–to–prison pipeline, ending the overcriminalization of girls of color, police, and criminal justice reform, the student debt crisis and higher education access, and ensuring an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  We support the following statewide legislation: 

  • "Campaign for Size Freedom"

    An Act prohibiting body size discrimination

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  • "Baby Bonds"

    An Act Addressing the Racial Wealth Gap

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Gender Equity
Gender Equality

Part of YW Boston’s goals as an organization is to amplify the voices of those historically marginalized, which includes women, women of color, and those outside the binary spectrum. These voices, stories, leadership, and representation have been underutilized and discriminated against for many years. Massachusetts stands to benefit economically, socially, and justly by dismantling inequitable systems and uplifting those historically left behind.

  • "Wage Equity Now"

    Closing the raw wage gaps by 2030

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  • "The I AM Bill"

    An Act to increase access to disposable menstrual products in prisons, homeless shelters, and public schools

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  • "Protected at Work"

    An Act Relative to Employment Protections for Victims of Abusive Behavior

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Get involved: You can take action to support any or all of these bills by reaching out to your state legislators.
Click below to find their contact information.

For questions regarding these policy priorities or the YW Boston Advocacy Committee, please reach out to Brianna Savage at bsavage@YWBoston.org.