This month, YWCA hosted a screening of the Netflix documentary “13th” with a discussion by professional facilitator on diversity and inclusion, Deborah Walker. Over 80 people of diverse age, gender and race were in the room, several of them seeing the documentary for the third or fourth time. However, many of them said the YWCA viewing was the best they had experienced because of the rich discussion. Although many people felt helpless after the movie concluded, they felt more empowered to do something after discussing their feelings with members of the community. The room broke into small groups and then gathered again for a larger discussion. Feelings ranged from anger to heartache to remaining vigilant, as there are always new ways for racism, oppression and discrimination to morph and manifest in our society. The most important aspect of the conversation was: what are our next steps? Deborah Walker provided additional resources including books, articles and films and the actions one can take by staying in front of elected officials. Everyone’s voice matters regardless of race, age, or gender. YWCA is proud to provide a safe space for everyone’s voice to be heard. One participant, who was a first-time YWCA visitor, remarked: “The last thing you can ever do is concede ground to the unrighteous.” And he shared his wisdom with the room, “You may not be able to fight it perfectly, but you get better as you learn to fight it.”
Cassandra D’Alessio
