Systems Change & Public Policy

Working Toward A More Equitable Community

YWCA is a nonpartisan organization that believes in supporting policies that promote the well-being of women and girls of color. 

Advocacy Priorities

The intersectional nature of our mission – eliminating racism, empowering women – centers women and girls of color in our advocacy work. YWCA Central Carolina’s advocacy work is guided by the following priorities:

  1. Economic Mobility – Upward mobility for children in poverty is more difficult in Charlotte than in any of the country’s 50 largest cities, according to researchers at Harvard and the University of California at Berkeley. Children born at the bottom of the income ladder have a 4 to 5 percent chance of reaching the top, the study found.
  2. Affordable Housing – As the nation’s third-fastest growing city, Charlotte is seeing home prices increase by as much as nine percent, contributing to longstanding concerns about affordability for working families.
  3. Racial Profiling – Officer-involved killings nationwide has further eroded trust between police and minorities. Though African-Americans make up less than a third of Charlotte’s driving-age residents, they are pulled over by police more frequently, receive more tickets and are the subjects of roadside searches twice as often as whites, according to a study by a UNC-Chapel Hill research team.
YWCA supporter at our 2019 Stand Against Racism at the corner of Trade & Tryon in Uptown Charlotte.
Participant holding sign at YWCA's SAR 2019
YWCA supporter at our 2019 Stand Against Racism at the corner of Trade & Tryon in Uptown Charlotte.

Policy Priorities

YWCA Central Carolinas’ Racial Justice & Advocacy program works to ensure that community members are educated and aware of legislation and bills that would help ensure a more equitable community for all individuals, particularly people of color. Below are policies and movements that we support, click on the policy/movement to learn more:

Empowerment & Economic Advancement

Ensuring women have equitable pay and access to needed resources for workplace support is vital. Click on the policy/movement to learn more:

Graduates of YWCA's financial literacy program, “Getting Ahead In A Just Gettin’ By World," advocating for affordable housing at Charlotte City Hall.

You can watch segments from YWCA and Captech’s YWomenVote series in which expert panelists discuss the health and safety policies that we can support to continue empowering women and girls of color.

Health & Safety

Ensuring women have equitable pay and access to needed resources for workplace support is vital. Click on the policy/movement to learn more:

What You Can Do

YWCA’s public policy work is strengthened with your support. Use your voice by: