YWCA USA NATIONAL CONFERENCE & CAPITOL HILL DAY 2023

Last week, YWCA Utah joined 350 colleagues on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as we called on Congress to pass legislation that will provide critical funding for domestic violence services and childcare infrastructure and to support legislation that addresses racism in healthcare.

21 Day Challenge: Until Justice Just Is!

We pushed the start of the challenge to June 20th, the day after we honor and celebrate Juneteenth. The topics in this year's 21-Day Challenge include disability justice, housing, race in the music industry, environmental justice, and mental health. Each weekday we will share videos, podcasts, and articles to help you learn about topics in an accessible format, including content on how these topics impact us in Utah.

As we strive to be a nation that allows people to live as full human beings, the theme of this year's 21-Day Challenge is fitting: Until Justice Just Is.

In June, as we celebrate Pride Month, we remember how far we have come from laws negatively targeting communities of color and QT/BIPOC, and we renew our commitment to fight back against laws, policies, and practices that seek to dehumanize and limit one another's ability to thrive and exist.

State legislatures and governors nationwide are passing and signing laws that target transgender people and youth in every aspect of their lives thereby effectively stealing from them the full suite of freedoms that should be available to all.

It's no surprise that transgender people are fleeing states that are enacting harmful law laws. Erin In The Morning tracks these laws and this 2022 v. 2023 comparison shows that as a country, we are moving in the wrong direction.

At YWCA Utah, we are committed to creating a kind, affirming, and nonviolent community. We will not rest Until Justice Just Is. For everyone.

On June 19, 1865, nine hundred days after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Major General Granger issued an order in Galveston Bay, Texas to inform nearly 250,000 enslaved Texans that they were free. You read that right - 900 days - an additional two and a half years stolen from people's lives. This reminds us that justice and freedom often are delayed for too many.

In 2021, President Biden signed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. In 2022, Gov. Cox signed Rep. Sandra Hollins and Sen. Jacob Andergg's legislation recognizing June 19th as Juneteenth National Freedom Day in Utah. According to the Pew Research Center, the majority of states now recognize Juneteenth as a holiday.

Juneteenth is a day of hope and celebration, but also a day of reflection on the harm people have endured as a result of racist laws and policies. It is up to all of us to recognize these types of laws of our day, acknowledge the harm caused, call upon each other and our leaders, and do what we can to promote justice and freedom for all.