Blog

For over 150 years, YW Boston has been a pillar of equity, justice, and human rights in Boston. In 1970, YWCA created the One Imperative, which was the culmination of decades of work to integrate and pursue “the elimination of racism wherever it exists and by any means necessary.” At a time when the American political landscape is marred by social violence and disruptions, a determination to erase civil rights, and efforts to silence marginalized communities, YW Boston refuses to back down. The shock and awe tactics of recent executive orders, arrests, purging and manipulation of critical institutions, attempts at censorship, and challenging legal activities may leave many understandingly feeling helpless, frightened, or disillusioned, but we remain resolute. We won’t be consumed by chaos, and we won’t allow the progress we’ve fought so hard for to be undone. Our commitment to advancing racial and gender equity—especially for women, girls, and gender expansive people of color—remains unwavering.  

Like many organizations, we’ve wrestled with how best to use our voice, platform, and unique offerings in these turbulent times. What can we say to help without further harming those already suffering? How do we safely communicate and uplift people when our work is being declared “immoral and illegal”? In connecting with our communities, we’ve come to a clear decision: We’re not going anywhere. Despite the push to undo the progress made toward racial and gender equity, YW Boston stands firm. Our mission—to eliminate racism and empower women—will always be at the forefront of everything we do. 

This is a pivotal moment. We recognize our responsibility to speak up—not just for ourselves, but for and with the communities we serve. Women and girls of color continue to face both overt and systemic barriers to equity. And so, we will continue our work with unflinching determination. We are: 

• Continuing our services and programming. We didn’t take any drastic pivots in 2020 and aren’t taking any drastic pivots in the moment. While the issues become more visible at different moments, the need remains the same.  

• Convening people. In this moment, we find people in need of community. This is both for support, for information sharing, and for organizing action.  

• Amplifying the voices of those who have knowledge of legal analysis, are leveraging their skills to file lawsuits, and have expertise in areas that are deeply intersectional to our work. 

• Leaning into and doubling down on our existing advocacy work pushing for legislative action on issues that impact women, girls, and gender expansive people of color. 

• Prioritizing the wellbeing of our staff. Sometimes this means slowing down, sometimes this means helping people find resources, sometimes this means providing comfort in the familiarity of structure and repeat tasks to momentarily have reprieve from the swirling outside world. 

• Continuing to assess and mitigate risk. 

• Strategically crafting our own statements, such as this, as we recognize the need and responsibility to speak up. 

But our work is about more than just programs and policy. It’s about our commitment to stay on course. The road ahead will be difficult, but we are undeterred. The fight for racial and gender equity has never been easy, and it won’t be now. Yet, that’s no reason to retreat. We cannot stand still or look back. We’ve made too much progress to let it be undone. 

YW Boston is here to stay, and we call on you to join us.  The path forward is one we must create together. Will you rise to this moment with us?