On November 16th, 2021, a mixture of enthusiastic YW Boston supporters and staff gathered virtually as we held our 2021 Annual Meeting. Featuring opening remarks from Marguerite Fletcher, YW Boston’s Board Chair, and Beth Chandler, YW Boston President & CEO, we debuted our 2020 Annual Report and reflected on its central theme “Being Part of a Movement.” With the pandemic creating a year of uncertainty we also acknowledged and thanked our various donors, partners, and program participants, board of directors, and YW staff for their support, for taking collective action towards racial and gender equity, and for their hard work. Due to this support, we also celebrated our successes and the growth of YW Boston as a result.

We also heard from our keynote speaker, Dr. Makeeba McCreary, who currently serves as first President of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF) and is a 2020 YW Boston Academy of Women Achievers awardee. NCF is a coalition founded of Black and Brown executives from Massachusetts’ leading corporations united to support Black and Brown communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic and in the wake of the brutal killing by police of George Floyd. Through her keynote presentation Dr. McCreary guided us on the NCF vision and philosophy. Afterwards both she and Beth Chandler participated in a fireside chat then engaged in a Q&A with the audience.

During our 2021 annual meeting, YW Boston’s Board of Directors inducted two new board members:

• John Anderson, Global Head of Corporate Finance & Infrastructure, Manulife
• Vicky Levy, Global Life Sciences Practice Leader, Deloitte

We also bid farewell to two outgoing members of the board:

• Sherrie Saint-Amant, Retired, Former Community Relations Business Partner, The TJX Companies, Inc.
• Julia Lanham, Assistant Dean, Career and Practicum, Boston University School of Public Health

Below is a recording of YW Boston’s 2021 Annual Meeting

“If you are here tonight, and you are a supporter of YW Boston as a donor or a program participant, then you are an important part of a movement towards equity. We need people like you to continue to help prioritize this important work in your organizations, in your neighborhoods, and in local and national governments.” 

Marguerite Fletcher, YW Boston Board Chair 

By partnering with YW Boston, you are part of a broader movement for long overdue, concrete action towards racial and gender equity. This is a movement that we all must continue to build in 2022 in order to address deeply entrenched inequities in our communities, systems, and institutions.

If you have not donated yet to YW Boston this year, or if you are able to donate again, please consider contributing to our mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and to our board for their continued support. Check out YW Boston’s 2020 Annual Report below.

About YW Boston

As the first YWCA in the nation, YW Boston has been at the forefront of advancing equity for over 150 years. Through our DE&I services—InclusionBoston and LeadBoston—as well as our advocacy work and F.Y.R.E. Initiative, we help individuals and organizations change policies, practices, attitudes, and behaviors with a goal of creating more inclusive environments where women, people of color, and especially women of color can succeed. 

As part of that work, we are helping organizations prioritize Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and become socially connected while staying physically distant. During this time, YW Boston is providing organizations with digital workshops and resources to help them better understand the challenges faced by their employees. For more information, please contact Sheera Bornstein at sheera@ywboston.org.