YWCA Boulder County’s mission is to eliminate racism and empower women, and as head of the organization’s Board of Directors Advocacy Committee, I’m excited to be a part of YWCA’s 2022 Stand Against Racism campaign.

The annual Stand Against Racism campaign will take place April 28 – May 1, 2022, and will serve to unite our community in a bold demonstration that delivers a clear message: we are on a mission to eliminate racism. It’s an opportunity for the people of Boulder County - and through YWCA USA’s national campaign communities across the country - to unite their voices to educate, advocate, and promote racial justice. Read on for multiple ways you can take a stand for racial justice.

We invite you to join us by rallying to make change for communities of color and telling the world We Can’t Wait: Equity and Justice Now! Our collective efforts can root out injustice, transform institutions, and create a world that sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.

We hope you’ll join us!

Best regards,

Alondra

Alondra Vazquez

Advocacy Committee Chair

YWCA Boulder County

If you registered and can no longer attend, please let us know so we can transfer your seat to someone on our waitlist. To cancel your registration, please email Heather Thorwald at hthorwald@ywcaboulder.org.

Join YWCA Boulder County and NAACP Boulder County for a community screening of the acclaimed documentary “This is [Not] Who We Are” followed by a panel discussion with Director Katrina Miller and others from the film. Winner of the People’s Choice Award at the 2022 Boulder International Film Festival, this documentary film explores the gap between Boulder’s progressive self-image and the lived experiences of its Black citizens. 

When: Thursday, April 28, 6:15 – 8:30 p.m. 

Where: Boulder JCC (6007 Oreg Ave, Boulder, CO 80303)

The Stand Against Racism Challenge is now a national initiative of YWCA USA and started on Monday, April 4th. The Stand Against Racism Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. Participants log on to the challenge app on their phone or visit the challenge website and are presented with challenges such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, reflecting on personal experience and more. The Stand Against Racism Challenge is designed for people at any point in their social justice journey to become true equity leaders in their community.

Join us to deepen your allyship and further your social justice journey! Register with the link below and choose "Boulder County" when prompted to choose your association.

It's been a busy spring for Reading to End Racism (RER)! We visited schools in Boulder and Louisville in February and March, including Reading Days every week in March. We also held our "How to Talk to Your Kids About Racism" parent training for Creekside Elementary's PTO group.

Every time we do Reading to End Racism in schools, we are blown away by the insightful questions the students ask and moved by the personal stories students often share. At one Reading Day this spring, a volunteer was reading and discussing the book "I am Golden" by Eva Chen, which is a wonderful ode to the immigrant experience, especially for Chinese American children. After reading one section of the book about what a strange world it is that people will say we are different one minute and then say we are all the same the next, one little boy shared how hurtful it is to him when he is accidently called by the name of the other Indian boy in class and when the other boy is called by his name. "It makes me upset because we are both from India but we are very different."

Thank you to all the volunteers who made these Reading Days possible! "I appreciate that our volunteers see the need and step in to read to any additional classrooms", said Shiquita Yarbrough, director, community engagement and equity. We are proud to work alongside you to start conversations about racism, discrimination and bullying with children early.

If you are interested in volunteering to read to students, please contact Shiquita Yarbrough at syarbrough@ywcaboulder.org.

When: Thursday, May 5, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Where: YWCA Boulder County (2222 14th Street, Boulder, CO 80302)

Reading to End Racism Volunteers are invited to come enjoy our annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast. We'll discuss the past year and all the great impact from this program, and take a look at the future of the program.

Please RSVP to Marisol Garcia at mgarcia@ywcaboulder.org.

Questions? Contact Shiquita Yarbrough at 303-443-0419 x103 or syarbrough@ywcaboulder.org.

When: Monday, May 23, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. 

Where: In-person at YWCA Boulder County (2222 14th Street, Boulder, CO 80302)

This two-session, three-hour-total training series is designed for individuals who are ready to work for racial justice. Participants will gain greater understanding of their role as accomplices in creating an anti-racist community, and they will identify tangible actions toward changing systems and structures that continue to perpetuate racism.

This course builds upon the knowledge gained through the How to be Anti-racist: Introduction course. Visit our Racial Justice & Equity Education webpage for information about this introductory course.

The $40 registration fee covers the cost for both sessions of the Taking Action training.

After you register, you will receive a Zoom link and instructions one week prior to the training.

Time commitment: Committee meetings will be one hour long twice a month from May to July and then weekly in August leading up to the event.

If you would like to learn more or would like to join the Empowered Luncheon committee now, please contact Robyn Hazlitt at rhazlitt@ywcaboulder.org.

SB22-207 "Prevention of Title IX Misconduct in Public School" Introduced on Monday

On Monday, Senator Winter and Representative Bacon introduced this bill that would require Colorado school districts to provide legally required Title IX information on K-12 district websites. This important bill is designed to improve the compliance of Title IX laws and regulations by school districts state-wide. Help us support this bill by contacting your legislators today!

Let's take a moment to celebrate some fantastic recent wins for women and people of color! After all that we do to contact our representatives and legislators for our advocacy work, don't forget to THANK THEM!

We have updated and refreshed the Advocacy page on our website, and have a new Advocacy Action Alert email list available for sign ups. We'll use these Advocacy Alerts to alert you to important legislation and bills that need your support!

You can now donate through our website with PayPal and Venmo! Check out our website for these new and convenient payment options, so you can make a difference with the payment option that is best for you.

In honor of our Stand Against Racism 2022 campaign we interviewed Steve Frankel, a longtime volunteer for our Reading to End Racism (RER) program. Thank you for your passion and dedication to volunteering with RER!

I first met Jean Gore, one of the founders of RER, at a racial justice meeting. When she heard I had been an inner-city teacher in NY, she “recruited” me and then trained me in her little apartment in Frasier Meadows. She inspired me!

RER was a natural fit for me. I love kids, had experience being in classrooms and want to make a difference. From my perspective, a core challenge of treating one another with deep respect and compassion is a lack of contact with folks who look different from us, or come from different cultural backgrounds.

Two big things happen with RER. The first is opening up the world using books, so the students can more easily feel the plight and then identify more with the challenges of others. Secondly, is having these great discussions where students would share incidents from their own lives or those close to them - where they were treated not for who they were, but by how others pre-judged them.

Recently I heard the saying that it’s not only creating a better world for our children, but also about creating better children for our world. For me, here’s a chance to do this not only for my kids and grandkids, but for many others. My belief is that all our kids have these life-affirming essences within, and that our collective work is to provide the atmosphere and support, to allow their beauty and gifts to live in this world! What an opportunity!

What an extraordinary group of folks work at the YWCA. They are so service-oriented and passionate to provide for others. They know how to listen, learn, and adjust, and each one in their own unique way has a big letter “C” etched in their hearts for Caring and Compassion.

In summary, I love our RER Program. Being in the schools and with the children is a blast! For me, the key to race relations is getting to know people as people, and then the fears and prejudices begin to peel away. Sometimes, meeting folks through literature and exploring together through good, open conversations in a trusting environment does assist in that happening. And we all grow up together!

Thank you to Tebo Properties for sponsoring our 100th Anniversary Gala! Tebo Properties has been a wonderful, longtime sponsor of YWCA Boulder County events for many years. Thank you for your dedication to our mission and work in Boulder County!