STATEMENT BY YWCA NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
June 8, 2020
To Our Supporters and Our Communities,
In 2009, the YWCA USA General Assembly adopted the following mission statement:
YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace justice, freedom and dignity for all.
This is who we are. Our YWCA is an organization where differences of all kinds – race, ethnicity, and beliefs – are respected, valued, and protected. Our YWCA is where hatred, bigotry, and intolerance are inappropriate and rejected. Our YWCA also recognizes that it is not enough to have a diverse and inclusive Board and Staff. We are compelled to acknowledge, to listen, and to act.
Recent events have caused us to be even more intentional in our Board conversations and vigilant in upholding our YWCA mission in North Central Indiana. The violent and tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many others have evoked sadness, frustration, anger, and disappointment. As an organization and as a community, we cannot afford to ignore the serious study of present-day racism and injustice and their connections to centuries-old systems borne of fear, prejudice, distrust, and hatred.
The leadership of this YWCA unites with the voices across our country crying out for justice. We cannot be silent. We must stand against bigotry, inequality, and injustice whenever and wherever we see it.
The YWCA follows our mission and serves communities in Elkhart and St Joseph Counties by providing shelter and safety for distraught women and their young children; by offering educational and job training programming, and by collaborating with others. We are also committed to broader and deeper efforts to eliminate racism, including frank and honest discussions about implicit bias, institutional inequities, and racial injustice.
In these challenging times, we will be introspective, account for our assets and deficiencies, and renew our pledge to the YWCA mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.
Let our mission be yours.
Jeanine Gozdecki, Board Chair and Susan Tybon, President and CEO
Board of Directors
Karen Barnett Gracie Gallagher Vivian Sallie
Kirstin Baum Kreg Gruber Amy Shah
Hayley Boling Mike Joines Debbie Smogor
Janet Joan Evelyn Holly Kelly Ron Teachman
Renée Fleming Joan McClendon Jeanne Yoder
Dominick Fultz