By Jamaal Smith, Racial Justice Community Engagement Manager “Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims’ pride, from every mountain side, let freedom ring…”   But who has that freedom rang for?  I always wondered as a kid who was Samuel Francis Smith discussing when he wrote these lyrics.  I was convinced it was… Continue Reading Has Freedom Been Realized?

By Paula Penebaker, President and CEO, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Every year, the collective WE try to find new ways to honor Dr. King.  I like to look at where the nation was at the time of his death and how we have or have not moved since his assassination.  Following is our post published on… Continue Reading Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Redux

By Leland Pan, PhD, Racial Justice Trainer, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Human Rights Day is most commonly celebrated internationally on December 10, the  anniversary of when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In the United States, people of color might read the thirty articles of the declaration and… Continue Reading Human Rights Day

By Martha Barry, PhD, Racial Justice Director, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Friday, November 16 is the International Day for Tolerance. Merriam-Webster defines tolerance as “sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own;” or the “act of allowing something.” Tolerance seems to convey the notion that we will “put up with… Continue Reading International Day for Tolerance

By Jamaal Smith, Racial Justice Community Engagement Manager, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin Every October, America, along with other countries across the globe, continues to celebrate Columbus Day, in recognition of Christopher Columbus’ arrival to the Americas on October 12, 1492.  The earliest celebration of Columbus’ voyage is recorded as early as 1792 by the Tamman Society… Continue Reading Columbus Day Reveals American Hypocrisy

By Leland Pan, Racial Justice Trainer, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin September 15 – October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, established in 1988. To start, there is the absurdity of the term “Hispanic,” a made up word by our country to imprecisely designate those who didn’t fit our original racial hierarchy but certainly weren’t extended the privileges… Continue Reading Hispanic Heritage Month

By Paula Penebaker, President & CEO, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin   The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which granted all women the right to vote, was passed on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920. While the amendment granted women voting privileges, state laws and state violence meant women of color, particularly black women, did… Continue Reading The Role of Women as Activists

By Jamaal Smith, Racial Justice Community Engagement Manager, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin The Many Faces of Patriotism According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word patriotism is defined as “love for or devotion to one’s country.” When many think of patriotism, the first thing that comes to mind is the armed forces, which is completely understandable. American troops are… Continue Reading The Many Faces of Patriotism

By Martha Barry, Racial Justice Director, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin  June is the month we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people. There are celebrations, parades, music, and parties. Many will openly revel in being LGBTQ-identified. Focusing on LGBTQ provides an opportunity for reflection on where we’ve been and how we are doing as a nation and… Continue Reading Pride Month & Racism

By Leland Pan, Racial Justice Trainer, YWCA Southeast Wisconsin May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. There is, of course, an absurdity to condensing a group of people into one “minority” group when they trace their heritage to over half the world’s population. Not only are we talking about hundreds of diverse cultures, racism can… Continue Reading History of Anti-Asian Racism and Asian Anti-Racism