YWCA Racial Justice Committee Partners for Walk As One
A YWCA team of volunteers and staff joined Community Nashville on September 26, 2009, for Walk As One. It's purpose is to bring the Nashville community together to take a stand against bias, bigotry and racism, much like the YWCA mission (YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all).
YWCA Racial Justice Committee Partners with Community Nashville
On Tuesday, July 21, Girls Inc. at the YWCA partnered with Community Nashville to offer a workshop for middle school girls enrolled in the Girls Inc. summer program at Hartman Community Center.
The morning workshop exposed the girls to new ideas and help them think about different races and cultures. Participants will be ages 9-14.
Community Nashville is a human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism.
Girls Inc. is a YWCA program offered in 3 Metro Nashville Public Schools, inspiring middle school girls to be strong, smart and bold.
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| Community Nashville Partners |
Teka shares her cultural autobiography with the group |
Discovering new
communication styles |
Student Essay Program
The YWCA’s First Annual Student Essay Program, a Racial Justice Initiative, provided an opportunity for girls in 5th- 7th grades (participants of YWCA Girls Inc) to understand and respect diversity through education and open dialogue. The program aims to increase young girls’ knowledge and understanding about current events in their community, and provides them with the experience, confidence, and courage to let their voices be heard
The YWCA Racial Justice Committee invited Girls Inc participants at three Metro middle schools, Ewing Park Middle School, West End Middle School, and Jere Baxter Middle School, to enter an essay contest about the “English Only Charter Amendment” prior to the Nashville Metro Special Election on January 22, 2009. The students reviewed the proposed Charter Amendment and participated in a facilitated dialogue about the election process, issues concerning race and racism, and immigrant rights. Participants wrote a one-page essay explaining the proposed amendment, as well as their personal perception of the English Only Amendment. The essays revealed that students emerged with a better insight into their community and greater appreciation of differences.
A panel of judges from the YWCA’s Racial Justice Committee ranked the essays and awarded prizes to:
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Mariah Nicks
Ewing Park Middle School, 6th grade
1st Prize: Ipod Shuffle |
Zipporah Smith
Ewing Park Middle School,
6th grade
2nd Prize: 2 tickets to the Adventure Science Center including 2 tickets to the Planetarium |
Katherine Torres
West End Middle School, 6th grade
3rd Prize: 2 tickets to the Movie Cinema |
Remember as You Pass Me By
In 2008, the Racial Justice Committee of the Board, hosted a half day event for women and preteen girls, centered on Remember as You Pass Me By, a historic novel by L. King Perez. It is a book about friendship across racial lines in Texas during the trying summer of 1954. It is written for young readers and it offers insights into America’s ongoing internal struggle of social change.