Message from the CEO
This has been a challenging few months in our city and country. The COVID-19 virus has disrupted everyone's lives and killed over 100,000 Americans, including 23,282 New Yorkers. Throughout the country, communities of color are facing the racial disparity of the impact of the coronavirus, while also experiencing the blatant racism that permeates our society. From last week's horrendous murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, to the recent video of a white woman calling 911 to falsely accuse a black man, Christian Cooper, of threatening her life in Central Park, racism and inequality shapes so much of American life. So many of us are angry and tired.
At the YW-NYC, we stand united with our families, neighbors and the faith community in condemning these racist acts, and commit ourselves to address the needs of the families we serve who are also dealing with economic and food insecurity. Since March 13th, we have converted all of our programming to working remotely. We also made the difficult decision to postpone our
Potential to Power Girls Symposium
until Spring 2021, as well as our annual
Salute to Women Leaders
fundraising luncheon. The YW family is experiencing personal challenges; like many of you, we are grieving the loss of too many relatives, friends and colleagues due to the COVID-19 virus. We are all being traumatized by the brutality of the past week in response to the protests across the country.
Through it all, we have hope as we work together, supporting each other, and continue to celebrate the successes of the young women and children in our programs. We've created new ways of bringing our programs directly to the homes of the families we serve, and we've developed ways to keep in touch and collaborate together. I'm excited to share with you some of what the YW family has been up to. We will hold the family of George Floyd in our hearts, and continue to strive to make New York and our nation a more equitable and safe place where all children can thrive.
