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Becoming
Anti-Racists

YWCA’s commitment to racial justice and civil rights runs deep. Since the 1800s, we have been a pioneer in standing against all forms of racism and oppression by promoting racial equity and equality. Use these resources to guide your personal racial justice journey.

YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix joins our sisterhood of associations in communities across the country in providing racial justice training, education and professional development, economic empowerment workshops, civic participation training, and so much more to level what has long been an uneven playing field to open doors of opportunity for people of color.

We will continue to do this work until the world sees people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.

Read more about our commitment to our communities below and engage with us as you explore your own commitment to furthering racial equity.

Join the Conversation

YWCA is committed to meeting you where you are as you learn more about systemic and institutional racism and how, together, we can all become racial justice champions. Consider joining one (or all!) of our upcoming events and activities. All of our offerings account for current social distancing practices and policies.

Additional Resources

Here are some resources that allies and anti-racists can use to learn more about the Black experience in America and our history of institutional and systemic racism.

  • How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
  • White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
  • The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
  • Divided Sisters by Midge Wilson & Kathy Russell
  • The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
  • They Can’t Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  • Fatal Invention by Dorothy Roberts
  • Locking Up Our Own by James Forman
  • The Miner’s Canary by Lani Guiner & Gerald Torres
  • The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
  • 1619 (New York Times)
  • About Race
  • Code Switch (NPR)
  • Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberle Crenshaw
  • Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
  • Pod For the Cause (Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
  • Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)
  • Seeing White
  • Parenting Forward Podcast – ‘Five Pandemic Parenting Lessons with Cindy Wang Brandt’ episode
  • Fare of the Free Child Podcast

  • 13th (Netflix)
  • American Son (Netflix)
  • Dear White People
  • If Beale St. Could Talk (Hulu)
  • King in the Wilderness (HBO)
  • See You Yesterday (Netflix)
  • The Hate You Give (Cinemax)
  • When They See Us (Netflix)

Take Action

Treat these issues, systemic and institutional racism and the lasting negative impacts, as the emergency they are – don’t let them fade from view. There are many ways to take action and make a difference in your community. Here are a few of our favorites, which resonate with you?

  • Protest peacefully
  • Contact your elected officials to insist on accountability
  • Support efforts to reform police policies on use of force
  • Call for efforts to promote community policing and reform of the justice system
  • Volunteer or donate to nonprofits working to address racial disparities in employment, income, health, education, housing, and incarceration
  • Encourage voting
  • Speak out against racism and injustice
  • Recognize the pain inequality inflicts, and the toll chronic racism takes on communities of color.
  • Listen deeply to people with different backgrounds and life experiences
  • Take care of yourself and create space to grieve and heal

Additional Sources

Here are additional organizations and agencies that are working towards a more just and equitable world.

Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro
Black Mother’s Forum
Poder in Action
NAACP Arizona Conference
Black Phoenix Organizing Collective
Arizona Coalition for Change
YWCA USA

Testimonials

There are many ways to get involved with YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix