The end of April concluded our United Against Racism campaign, and we’re grateful and inspired by the over 350 champions and allies that took part as individuals, groups, or organizations. Every April, YWCA USA leads a signature campaign that aims to raise awareness about the impact of institutional racism and empower participants to act. United Against Racism is YW Boston’s customized version of this campaign where we feature an exclusive, self-paced curriculum of racial equity content. YWCA USA’s annual campaign was formerly known as Stand Against Racism; the title has since been changed to reflect more inclusive language.      

If you were able to take part in our curriculum, we would encourage you to take what you learned, throughout the month-long campaign and turn it into meaningful action in Boston, in your communities, and in your organizations throughout the year. You can also continue to reach out and share what you’ve gained from the United Against Racism curriculum.  

Jeff Fuhrer has participated in our previous campaigns, and this year participated as a member of a team at Eastern Bank. His story, presented in his own words below, showcases how participating in a campaign like United Against Racism can be of benefit to your continued learning whether as an individual or within a group.  

“For the past few years, I’ve participated in YW Boston’s [previous campaigns] and now ‘United Against Racism.’ In the past, I’ve participated by myself. This year, thanks to the organizing efforts of Ivelisse Gonzalez and Darlene Ellis-Donahue, I participated as a member of Eastern Bank’s team. The previous campaigns have been great—I always learned something new about our country’s history, about new perspectives on racial equity and justice, about how I can help. But this year was further enriched by being a part of this great team. 

One of the best features of this campaign was a 21-day Teams chat, in which Eastern employees offered personal perspectives, recommended resources (books, videos, programs), and interacted with one another in an ongoing discussion about these critically important issues. At the program’s wrap-up, the level of enthusiasm for this work was inspiring. Led by Jeff Rogers, the group engaged in an open discussion about what we had learned, what surprised us, and what we would take with us going forward. 

I offer my personal thanks to YW Boston for continuing this effort. It needs to happen every year—indeed, every day. I have been proud to be a small part of it.” 

 Jeff Fuhrer – Foundation Fellow, Eastern Bank Foundation

As Jeff mentioned, the effort to act against intuitional racism is something we should all take part in every day. Whether as an individual or with a group, YW Boston provides many ways for you to continue this learning throughout the year. You can: 

• Click here to learn more about our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion services. 
• Become a monthly donor to ensure the long-term sustainability of YW Boston’s work and support us in providing more free resources, such as our United Against Racism curriculum. 
• Join us at our Academy of Women Achievers event on June 6  
• Follow us on social media @ywboston to get the latest racial and gender equity news as well as original content on our blog. 
• Stay up to date on YW Boston events and activities by subscribing to our newsletter or checking out our events page. 

We again want to thank everyone who took part in our United Against Racism campaign this past April and hope you participate again next year.