Racial Justice and Gender Equity Institute

Vision Statement: 

YWCA San Antonio understands that to empower all women fully, we must take intentional steps to eliminate the barriers faced by women of color. YWCA San Antonio understands that racism is a public health crisis contributing to the disenfranchisement of all women. Our goal is to address these barriers with care, compassion, and confidence in the services we provide our community. 

Philosophy:

The Racial Justice Institute (RJI) exists to achieve racial justice and healing through:

• Narrative change – changing the conversation through greater awareness and understanding of race and gender
• Behavior and practice change – empowering individuals to advocate for themselves; empowering organizations and companies to change to support individuals, especially women, of color
• Systemic change – advocating for policy reforms to support individuals, especially women, of color.

Focus Areas:

• Racial Justice – creating community collaborations that address, challenge, and dismantle systemic racism that prohibits the upward trajectory of women of color and their families, as well as comprehensive training, summits, and healing opportunities
• Economic Justice – freedom for women, especially women of color, through economic self-sufficiency based on wage equity, housing, and workforce development, which includes childcare
• Health Equity- access to high-quality health information and care, including mental health, maternal health, and domestic violence prevention

To accomplish this goal, YWCA of San Antonio aims to eliminate racism and empower women by utilizing our services through our Racial Justice Institute. 

Our Racial Justice Institute exists to serve San Antonio in the following ways: