STANDING AGAINST RACISM: A MESSAGE FROM YWCA GLENDALE AND PASADENA'S CEO,
TARA PETERSON
The events of the past week, past month, past year - and honestly, our lifetimes - have led us all to ask, when will change happen? When will the violence against people of color end? From the rise in violence against our AAPI communities here and across the country, to the murder of more Black and Brown men and boys at the hands of law enforcement, we carry the grief, the anger, and the resolve to build a better community and a more just country.
At YWCA, we are unwavering in our commitment to justice. We do this work because we demand a world of equity and human decency, in which women, girls, and people of color can live healthy, safe, full lives with dignity. We get up and continue to do the work until injustice is rooted out and institutions are transformed – until, as our YWCA USA campaign states, justice, just is.
This month, YWCAs across the nation will hold their annual Stand Against Racism campaign. We invite you to join us in local actions by taking the pledge to commit to the work of anti-racism in your own life, learning more about the impact of our first 21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge, and getting involved in our upcoming events. It is our collective work - from marching, to personal reflection, to demanding policy change to end racism in all of its forms - that will move us forward in our pursuit of peace and justice. As Bernice King, the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us this past week, "Many invoke my father to call for false or negative peace, which is solely about the tension, protests and inconvenience going away. But, as he said, True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.
We can get to true peace together."
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zip codes and 25 states embarked on a journey to better understand how racial and social injustices impact our country and community and how we can work individually and collectively to undo this harm. Thanks to our partners at Saybrook University, we were able to measure the impact of this Challenge in the lives of participants, which included the following key findings:
- 92% reported learning about themselves and their communities
- 82% said they felt inspired to lead or join racial justice efforts, events, or actions in their communities
- 81% reported the Challenge changed their way of thinking
- 75% said the Challenge helped their employer/team to address issues of racial equity and social justice
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This year, our Stand Against Racism Campaign centers around a new theme: From Declarations to Change: Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis. Public health is, and always has been, central to racial justice work. This year, our theme is especially pertinent as our nation continues to face the intersecting public health crises of COVID-19 and racism. Understanding the economic and social determinants of health and how racism impacts public health outcomes is critical to uprooting systemic inequity in communities of color.
Economic investment in public health looks like safe and affordable housing, access to quality education, economic advancement opportunities, reliable transportation, availability of healthy foods, and environments free of contamination among other essential resources. Social resources which can reduce negative health outcomes in communities of color include enhanced public safety measures, addressing social norms and attitudes which cause discrimination, and increased social support across our country. We invite you to join us on social media from April 22-25th as we dive deeper into this topic and take a Stand Against Racism. We will pause the campaign on April 24th as we acknowledge the 106th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and our cross movement work to advance justice.
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On April 28th, we invite you to a special Stand Against Racism event, STOP AAPI Hate. We will be joined by Congresswoman Judy Chu, Connie Chung Joe from Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Robin Kawakami from the Today Show at NBC News, T.C. Kim from the Korean Resource Center, and moderator, Angeline Chen from Clark Hill to discuss the rise in hate crimes and the policy and advocacy work being done to address racism and violence against the AAPI community.
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COALITION FOR AN ANTI-RACIST GLENDALE RECEIVES FIRST AWARD FOR ITS WORK TO PASS HISTORIC SUNDOWN TOWN RESOLUTION
On Aril 22nd, the Housing Rights Center will be recognizing the Coalition at their 2021 Housing Rights Summit. For the majority of the 20th century, Black workers were asked to leave the City by sundown or face violence by police or community members, were excluded from residing or purchasing property in Glendale through discriminatory language in property deeds and covenants and by redlining, and were made to feel unsafe due to the presence of the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party who maintained active chapters and headquarters in Glendale. Our CEO, Tara Peterson is honored to accept this award on behalf of the Coalition and looks forward to our continued collective work to advance racial equity and housing rights in Glendale.
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Originally scheduled for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Glendale Peace Walk will now take place at 2:00PM on May 23rd, the Sunday before the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. Glendale’s Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Walk will be a moving witness to our passion to continue Dr. King’s work of justice right here in our city until every resident has peace, security and stability. The walk will be a time of inspiration and hope where children, teens and adults young and old can speak to the ideals of Dr. King. Social distancing, face masks and hand hygiene are essential for this event. Walk participants will gather in the parking lot of YWCA at 1:30PM and at 2PM will begin the march, which will end with an uplifting outdoor celebration at Glendale City Church.
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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS ANNANG AND SERRANO TO SIT ON PASADENA POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION
We were proud to lend our voice in support of the selection of three women of color with experience in working on racial justice and police reform in Pasadena to hold community based seats on the newly established Pasadena Police Oversight Coalition. As the result of years of community organizing and advocacy and following the murder of Anthony McClain by law enforcement, in October 2020, the City Council established a Community Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) by ordinance. The purpose of the Commission is to enhance, develop, and strengthen community-police relations, and review and make recommendations regarding the ongoing operations of the police department to the chief of police, city manager, and/or city council.The Commission will be composed of 11 members, with each City Councilmember nominating one (for a total of eight), and three members nominated from community-based organizations. Two community members, Juliana Serrano and Florence Annang were recommended for seats by Council on April 14th, while the third community seat remains undecided.
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735 East Lexington Drive
Glendale, CA 91206
Phone: 1-(818) 242-4155
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Support YWCA Glendale and Pasadena's mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. |
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