This Women's History Month
By: Whitney Mooney
This year’s Greater Boston International Women’s Day Breakfast theme is “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future”. As we reflect on the work of the many women who came before us, we must remember that much more work is needed.
In the United States, YWCA has been on a mission since 1850, working to improve conditions for women. In 1906, YWCA became the first organization to introduce the positive health concept and sex education in all health programming nationwide. By the 1930s, YWCAs began their work in racial justice, asking members to speak out against lynching and mob violence and for interracial cooperation and efforts to protect Black people’s basic civil rights. In 1934, YWCA delegated supported birth control services and worked to make it more widely available to the general population. Over the last 173 years, YWCAs across the country have been fighting for women’s equity.
On a local level, YWCA Cambridge has been a safe haven for women since 1891, known as a leader in affordable housing for women. By the 1950s, our organization had two forms of housing to better support women and families. Our Family Shelter became a critical space for families to grow and set themselves on a path to long-term success. Our Tanner Residence, our SRO, become a long-term living solution on 7 Temple Street and has since become home for thousands of women. Today, both Family Shelter and Tanner Residence continue to serve a crucial role in our community. Our organization works to make it possible for women and families to leave unsafe situations and move to a healthier environment.
Taking the lead from YWCAs across the country, YWCA Cambridge transitioned from solely focusing on housing to working on racial justice and women’s rights advocacy. In 2020, YWCA Cambridge introduced a dedicated advocacy department to fight for pay equity, racial equity, disabilities rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and so much more across the greater Boston community.
While recognizing these accomplishments, we know there’s still so much work to be done. According to a 2021 Boston Women’s Workforce Council study, white women make $0.70 on the dollar compared to white men, and Black women make $0.49 on the dollar compared to white men. Women are still fighting to break glass ceilings. Women still hold the majority of the burden of child-rearing, child-care, and family life. Women are still not getting the much-needed resources they need to thrive in our country. Women with disabilities and women with mental health issues don’t get the proper care they need from our healthcare system. Women still get called “bossy”, “shrill”, or “too-opinionated” in the workplace for qualities praised in men. There is so much our society owes women, especially the women of color who have led the charge for change since the birth of our nation. We are where we are because of the work of women like Shirley Chisholm, Marsha P. Johnson, Dorothy Heights, and many more who never made it into history books.
As we look to the future, YWCA Cambridge is determined and dedicated to fighting for women’s rights, especially women of color who are often overlooked when change is being made. Every woman deserves to thrive in our society. Join us this month in questioning the status quo, uplifting women with a special lens on women of color, fighting for social justice in all forms, and looking toward a more equitable future.