WE Are YWCA – Our Mission it to Eliminate Racism

WE Are YWCA – Our Mission it to Eliminate Racism

We at YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County feel the shockwaves following the death of George Floyd, a black man suffocated by a white police officer earlier this week. We send our condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd, and Ahmed Aubrey, and Breonna Taylor – to all victims of hate crimes and communities of color. We are also thinking of our sisters and brothers at YWCA Minneapolis and the whole Minneapolis-St. Paul community, through this challenging and frightening time.
As an organization with a mission of Eliminating Racism, we believe we must all do our part to promote and achieve racial equality. We MUST take a stand. We must unite in our vision of a community with peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
We believe that addressing this specific incident alone won’t be enough to prevent future occurrences of police violence against Black people and people of color in America. Our country’s failure to address institutional Racism is costing lives. Racism is why coronavirus is killing more people of color than white people. Racism is why police shootings are a leading cause of death for young Black men. Racism is why Black mothers die more frequently in childbirth. Racism has no place in the America we all deserve.
At YWCA, 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 job until the injustice is rooted out, and institutions are transformed until the world sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.
For 137 years, YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County has been an agent for change.

• We believe Racism is a public health crisis that is killing and destroying the lives and souls of our community members.
• We condemn the systematic Racism that continues to tear the fabric of our community and our world.
• We condemn leaders who fight against good.
• We demand a world of equity and human decency. 
• We commit ourselves to the work of racial justice.
• We are black, white, brown, Latina, Muslim, differently-abled, LGBTQ+
• We are angry.
• We want justice.
• We are allies in the fight against hate.
• We vote.
• We envision a world of opportunity.
• We will get up and continue to do the work until the injustice is rooted out, and institutions are transformed until the world sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.
• We need you to join the mission.
• We are YWCA.