YWCA Toronto - The Feminist Edge

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.” ~ Maya Angelou

LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

Dear YWCA Toronto Community,

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is observed annually on the day that the police in South Africa killed 69 peaceful, anti-apartheid, demonstrators in 1960.

At YWCA Toronto, we recognize the importance of this day as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to combatting racial discrimination, inequity and injustice. Across Turtle Island, known today as Canada, deep seeded roots of colonialism and racism continue to permeate through our society and our social structures, disproportionately impacting Black and Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people .

We recognize that collectively, we have a lot of work to do to achieve racial justice but we are committed to doing the work.

March is also Women’s History Month. During this month we celebrate and recognize the contributions of women and girls in the pursuit of gender equity, particularly, our very own 2024 Women of Distinctio n! These women are brave leaders in their fields, change-makers in our community and committed champions of gender equity.

Lastly, a heartfelt “thank you” to you, our Feminist Edge subscriber, for being a committed member of our community!

Sami Pritchard

Interim Director of Advocacy and Communications

YWCA Toronto

ADVOCACY CORNER

Happy Women’s History Month!

We were thrilled to mark this important month by joining the Toronto Women’s March on March 2^nd. Check out our YWCA Toronto delegation’s recap here!

Further, this month we echoed calls from our partners, including the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, and sent a letter to Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship on Ensuring Fair and Equitable Temporary Immigration Measures for Humanitarian Crises.

Keep an eye out next month for a recap of our Interim Director of Advocacy and Communications, Sami Pritchard’s trip to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women! Check out some of her experience here.

PROGRAM UPDATE

Elevate Your Digital Skills

Introducing Digital Awareness Ready for Employment (DARE), a virtual 4-week instructor-led program, designed to empower newcomer women and gender diverse people residing in Etobicoke and Peel Region to succeed in the digital age.

This program is generously funded by the Toronto Pearson International Airport’s Propeller Project.

Offering access to resources tailored to unique needs, DARE will also help participants enhance their proficiency in key, in-demand software and digital tools, and their ability to navigate digital platforms with confidence.

Information session will be held on April 24, and May 2, 8, and 15.

For more information, call 416.269.0091 x231 or email ywcatrainingcentre@ywcatoronto.org.

PHILANTHROPY HIGHLIGHT

Join the YWCA Movement

Become a member of YWCA Toronto in 2024.

Membership is so much more than the $20 membership fee – it is about being a part of a worldwide feminist movement, sharing your voice, and supporting women, girls and gender diverse people.

Together, we can create lasting change in our community.

Contact Nalini Singh at NSingh@ywcatoronto.org or 416.961.8101 x360 to become a member today.

Photo | Courtesy of The 519 and Rainbow Health Ontario

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Reference Guide: Discussing Trans and Gender Diverse People

March 31^stis Trans Day of Visibility. Recognizing that trans people are experts of their own experience and deserving of accurate language to reflect their experience, The 519 and Rainbow Health Ontario developed a Media Reference Guide for discussing trans and gender diverse people.

Find the reference guide here!

Photo | Courtesy of CCMW

Wisdom for Collective Grief

Join the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) this Sunday, March 24^th for their workshop entitled Wisdom & Healing Circle: Wisdom for Collective Grief. This workshop will focus on the collective grief the Palestinian, Sudanese and Congolese communities are facing, allowing participants to reconnect with their ancestral wisdom through art-making and storytelling.

Edgy

Black Mental Health Week

Black Mental Health Week was March 4^th-10^th. Anti-Black racism is prevalent in our society, and emerging research confirms that anti-Black racism takes an alarming toll on one’s mental health, despite the resilience of Black communities.

In support of Black Mental Health Week, the City of Toronto and TAIBU Community Health Centre have created a new resource hub which can be accessed here.

Eight Generation Canadian

*Content Warning: this blog post mentions human trafficking, war, violence and sexual violence.

Earlier this week, we shared a blog post by Chardée Turner, an external writer who has deep roots in Canada as a descendent of Black and Mi’kmaq people. In this blog, Chardée shares her and her family’s experiences. The blog post also features important people and locations in Black Canadian history.

Read the full blog here.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

YWCA Toronto operates on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We are grateful to work on this territory as we strive to build a more equitable and just city for women, girls, and gender diverse people. For a full land acknowledgment, please visit our webs ite.

87 Elm Street, Toronto M5G 0A8 | 416.961.8100 | ywcatoronto.org

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