YWCA USA’s Racial Justice Challenge is the action component for the Until Justice Just Is campaign, which runs throughout the month of April to raise awareness of systemic racism and how each of us can take action to advance justice. Join YWCA USA’s full challenge here.*
YWCA Northeast Indiana wants to highlight resources from this challenge throughout the month to help advance our mission of eliminating racism. Follow along to help make justice a reality for all. We can’t rest until justice, just is.
Bodily Autonomy can be defined as the right to make decisions about your own body, life, and future, without coercion, fear, violence, or discrimination. It is one of the most fundamental rights we have as human beings. Bodily autonomy is not limited to just one group of people, it includes men, women, boys and girls, people of diverse sexual orientations and different gender expressions. However, across the country, this fundamental right is being challenged. The resources below will encourage difficult conversations about some of the many ways marginalized bodies are restricted, policed, and violated.
When you go to the doctor or have a medical emergency, you hope that those providing care have your best interests at heart, take your pain seriously, and respect the decisions you make. However, particularly for women and people of color, this is not always the case. Throughout history, institutional biases have empowered those in the medical profession to disregard the bodily autonomy of marginalized people.
The below article examines how access to healthcare was limited for Native Americans, leaving infants and children living on reservations particularly vulnerable to illness and death. Read about the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970, where physicians sterilized Native American women of childbearing age. These procedures were often performed under pressure or duress, or without the women’s knowledge or understanding.
People of color often face discrimination based on their hair texture and style. Despite increasing awareness of the health risks associated with hair relaxers, many Black women continue to use them due to personal preference, tradition, and societal pressure. A recent study revealed that women using chemical straighteners face double the risk of uterine cancer, prompting some individuals to file lawsuits against the manufacturers of these products. Learn about the stigma surrounding Afro-textured hair that has its origins in slavery and systemic pressure to conform to white beauty standards.
These are just a few of the many resources included in YWCA USA’s Racial Justice Challenge. Join the challenge to access additional content and their full list of resources.*
Women’s financial empowerment is critical to achieving gender equity. Across time and cultures, women have had vastly different degrees of economic freedom. Generations of women were denied control over their financial life, and it wasn’t until 1974 that women were allowed to have credit cards in their own name. Today, more women are taking control of their finances, and making important decisions about budgeting, saving, and investing. Despite all of this progress, inequities persist, with bias. The racial, gender, and motherhood pay gaps continue to hold women back from reaching their full economic potential. Women are also still expected to do a significant amount of unpaid labor such as childcare, caring for older relatives, and maintaining the home. According to a new study from Payscale, the gender pay gap can mean $900,000 in lost wages over a woman’s lifetime. This loss of financial power has huge implications for women’s long-term quality of life.
The below article walks us through the history of women in the workplace, women’s financial independence, and how many of the advancements that were made were at the expense of low-income women and women of color. This timeline traces women’s journey for financial independence, including crucial developments such as legal changes, workplace advancements, and societal shifts in the ongoing fight for women’s financial rights.
Globally, individuals dedicate 16 billion hours daily to unpaid care work, encompassing responsibilities like cooking, childcare, and household chores, often alongside other employment. In the following video, employment advocate Sharmi Surianarain emphasizes the necessity of recognizing and prioritizing this labor, advocating for supportive workplace policies that address the demands of care work.
Learn about the true cost of financial abuse, a pervasive form of domestic violence impacting millions of Americans annually. This video collaboration with Vox, The Allstate Foundation, and Hello Sunshine, aims to increase awareness about this crucial yet frequently overlooked issue.
These are just a few of the many resources included in YWCA USA’s Racial Justice Challenge. Join the challenge to access additional content and their full list of resources.*
This week we will dive into how gun related violence causes more than just physical harm, influencing mental health, community cohesion, and economic prospects. This type of violence is a major threat to the health and safety of marginalized groups. We will address the stigma around mental health in this country and look at ways to implement comprehensive community-based solutions, which are crucial steps to breaking the cycle and promoting safer, healthier environments for marginalized communities.
This week’s content includes topics of gun violence and suicide, which may be distressing for some individuals. If you have been impacted, please consider your well-being before engaging with this material.
According to the PEW Research Center, suicides account for half of gun deaths in the U.S. The article below will discuss the complex reasons for this rise, including an increase in firearm purchases among people of color and the powerful stigma around mental health in this country. Only one in ten people who attempt suicide with a gun survive, so we must find ways to remove firearms from crisis situations.
Gun violence disproportionately affects communities of color in the United States, exacerbating existing social and economic disparities. These communities often experience higher rates of firearm-related injuries and fatalities, leading to a cycle of trauma and grief. Homicides of young Black and Latino men committed with guns are the least likely to be solved and the impact this has extends beyond immediate physical harm, influencing mental health, community cohesion, and economic prospects. Addressing gun violence’s root causes and implementing comprehensive community-based solutions are crucial steps to break this cycle and promote safer, healthier environments for marginalized communities.
These are just a few of the many resources included in YWCA USA’s Racial Justice Challenge. Join the challenge to access additional content and their full list of resources.*
Access to transportation impacts every aspect of our lives, from our ability to get to work, access healthcare, and educate our children. With so much at stake, transportation equity is critical to eliminating racism and empowering women. Reimagining the way we think about our roads, buses, and sidewalks is essential for addressing the historical injustices such as segregation and present-day inequities including access to safe transportation in marginalized communities, sexual harassment on public transportation, and roads that are unsafe for pedestrians. These disparities disproportionately affect people of color and low-income individuals, contributing to ongoing economic and social inequalities. Together, we can create transportation systems that serve as catalysts for broader societal change, and foster inclusivity, justice, and empowerment for all.
The below video serves as a window into how America’s history of systemic racism continues to profoundly shape how we travel through the world today. Our neighborhoods, highways, railways, and bus routes all bear the marks of past discriminatory practices.
Please consider this article which shines a light on the Green Book, a travel guide by Victor Hugo Green, that helped make travel safer for Black motorists in the Jim Crowe era. This book was particularly important because it helped travelers avoid sundown towns that banned people of color after nightfall. Please take the time to recognize the contribution of Victor Hugo Green, whose work sought to preserve the dignity and freedom for marginalized people on the move.
These are just a few of the many resources included in YWCA USA’s Racial Justice Challenge. Join the challenge to access additional content and their full list of resources.*
We thank and acknowledge the work of those who laid the foundation for this Challenge, particularly Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., Debby Irving, and Dr. Marguerite Penick’s 21 Day Racial Equity and Habit Building Challenge. The challenge is independently designed, written, and curated by YWCA Greater Cleveland.
*YWCA Northeast Indiana is a nonpartisan organization. It does not support or oppose any candidates for public office in any election, nor does it take a stand for or against a political party. The views and opinions expressed by YWCA USA do not necessarily reflect YWCA Northeast Indiana.